‘New and exciting’ collaboration opportunities for Singapore and Indonesia ahead: PM Wong

JAKARTA: Singapore and Indonesia have discussed “new and exciting opportunities” for future cooperation, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday (Nov 6).
These opportunities are in areas such as defence, trade and investments, as well as “areas which are aligned to Indonesia’s priorities”, such as food and energy security.
Mr Wong was speaking alongside Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto at a joint press conference held after a meeting at the Istana Merdeka presidential palace in central Jakarta.
“I had a very productive conversation just now with President Prabowo, and together with our ministers, we discussed some new and exciting opportunities for collaboration in the coming years,” he told reporters.
For one, both countries are looking to strengthen their defence cooperation “even further”.
Mr Wong thanked Mr Prabowo for his leadership as defence minister in seeing through the Defence Cooperation Agreement that came into force in March, which allows the two countries’ militaries to work even closer together and “in new ways”.
The facilitation of more trade and investment flows between the two countries will also continue while they seek cooperation in new areas like digital technologies and healthcare.
Both leaders also discussed opportunities to collaborate in “areas which are aligned to Indonesia’s priorities”, said Mr Wong.
One of these areas is food security, where the countries can, for example, exchange best practices and technologies to mutually benefit from cooperation in the agriculture and food sector. Another is energy security, where partnerships in areas like clean energy and sustainability were discussed. 
The latter “can be a new growth engine for both our countries, especially when we realise cross-border energy exports as well as cross-border carbon capture and storage projects in the coming years”, Mr Wong said.
The Prime Minister is on a two-day trip to Indonesia as part of a series of introductory visits to neighbouring Southeast Asian countries that has been ongoing since he took office in May.
Mr Wong has had four meetings with Mr Prabowo this year – three in Indonesia and one in Singapore – but he described this visit as “special” as it marked his first official visit to Indonesia as prime minister. He also said he was honoured to be Mr Prabowo’s first official guest since the latter’s presidential inauguration on Oct 20.
“President Prabowo has charted out a full agenda ahead. I am inspired by his energy and his determination to lead Indonesia to an even brighter future,” Mr Wong added.
“I assured him of Singapore’s support as a close friend and steadfast partner in this journey. We want Indonesia to succeed, and Singapore remains deeply invested in Indonesia’s success.”
Mr Wong noted that he and Mr Prabowo have benefited from the work of their predecessors, who have helped to lay “a very strong foundation” in bringing the two countries closer together and resolved long-standing issues “in a way of mutual cooperation and mutual benefit”.
“As new leaders now, both of us are able to write a new chapter in our bilateral ties and take the relationship to even greater heights,” he said, adding that Singapore and Indonesia’s bilateral relations are built on “a very strong foundation of friendship” that goes beyond that between leaders and extends “across all levels” of society.
In his speech, Mr Prabowo said that Mr Wong’s visit was very meaningful because it was the first official visit by a foreign leader since his inauguration.
He described Singapore as one of Indonesia’s closest neighbours, with good cooperation between the countries bilaterally and within the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Both leaders also exchanged views on the wider global environment.
Mr Prabowo said: “We share the same view regarding the importance of maintaining regional and international peace and security amid an increasingly complex geopolitical situation.” 
Expressing deep concern over the situation in the Middle East, the Indonesian president stressed the importance of continuing to call for an immediate end to the violence in Palestine and Lebanon, for unimpeded deliveries of humanitarian aid in the region, and for the achievement of a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel based on international law.
Turning to Myanmar, Mr Prabowo said he and Mr Wong had agreed to ensure that the five-point peace plan established by ASEAN in 2021 to help the country resolve its political crisis would be implemented.
Mr Wong said the world is “entering a more troubling era in global affairs … but Indonesia and Singapore share many common strategic perspectives of the world”.
Both Singapore and Indonesia “want to be friends to all”, to be “good neighbours” and also have close ties with both the United States and China, he added.
“We will both exercise active and independent foreign policies towards that effect, in order to achieve mutual benefit, mutual interest and importantly, peace, stability and prosperity for ourselves and for Southeast Asia,” said Mr Wong.
The prime minister added that both leaders hoped the strong bilateral ties between Singapore and Indonesia could “provide pathfinders to accelerate ASEAN integration and make for a stronger and more united ASEAN”.
“In this more complicated world, a strong ASEAN will serve us well and will help to ensure that the region is able to prosper and attract investments into Southeast Asia,” he said at the joint press conference.
Mr Wong concluded his speech by saying that he looked forward to welcoming and continuing his conversations with Mr Prabowo at the next annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat, which will be hosted by Singapore in 2025.
Speaking to Singapore reporters at the end of his trip on Wednesday evening, Mr Wong reiterated his confidence in being able to achieve “positive outcomes” for the areas of cooperation with Indonesia.
He described Mr Prabowo as “a very action-oriented person” who saw through the Defence Cooperation Agreement during his time as Defence Minister.
Under the Defence Cooperation Agreement, Singapore and Indonesia will continue to strengthen defence partnerships and deepen cooperation in mutually beneficial areas. Together with two other bilateral pacts on air space management and extradition, these agreements signalled a “major milestone” in bilateral relations, the authorities have said previously.
“Now, likewise, as president, I am sure and confident that with the key areas of cooperation we have discussed, we will be able to see positive outcomes,” said Mr Wong.
“That’s why we are looking forward to working with him and his team on these different areas in order to take our relationship to greater heights.”
Asked about the potential cooperation on food security, Mr Wong said Singapore can look into how it can continue to diversify its food imports from Indonesia.
More importantly, Singapore can contribute in the area of food technology, especially in the area of urban farming. While Singapore lacks large farms, there are researchers here looking into ways to increase the resilience and productivity of some crops, said Mr Wong.
“Indonesia wants to enhance and strengthen its own food security … and if there are ways in which we can be helpful, largely through technology and some of the experiences we have … we’ll be happy to share and work together,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Mr Wong laid a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta before travelling to the Istana Merdeka where he was received by Mr Prabowo.
Following a welcome ceremony conducted by members of the presidential guard and the Indonesian military, Mr Wong signed a guestbook and held meetings with Mr Prabowo and his ministers.
During his visit, the Prime Minister also met Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly Ahmad Muzani and the Speaker of the Regional Representative Council Sultan Bachtiar Najamudin.
On his meeting with Mr Gibran, Mr Wong said they had a “good conversation” on what the vice-president was focused on and potential areas of cooperation. Mr Wong said he also invited Mr Gibran to visit Singapore.
Meanwhile, Mr Wong had an engagement session with several representatives of the Indonesian media on Tuesday evening, where he was asked questions ranging from his thoughts on Indonesia’s shift in foreign policy to any concerns over the development of Indonesia’s future capital Nusantara under its new president.
On the latter, Mr Wong said as Mr Prabowo has “already made it quite clear” that the development will continue, investors will have some assurance.
“But this is still a bold, very major, long-term project. It will not be built overnight, and it will take years of commitment in order for the entire new capital city to be built,” he said, according to a transcript released by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information on Wednesday night.
“On the government side, where Singapore is concerned, we are happy to support. We have done so previously under President Jokowi, we will continue to do so with President Prabowo,” said Mr Wong.
Mr Prabowo has also announced plans to set up a new investment body called Danantara, which is said to be akin to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings.
Asked by an editor from Jakarta Post on whether there are lessons that Indonesia’s new investment body can learn from Temasek, Mr Wong replied that Singapore is not the only country which has a state investment model.
“So, I am not sure if Indonesia needs to only look at us, there are many other models to look at, many examples to learn from,” he said.
“As far as we are concerned, we will be very happy to share our experience and what Temasek has gone through … But in the end, Indonesia will have to decide what it wants to do on its own, because every country is different, your circumstances (and) your needs are different.
Mr Wong added he is confident that Mr Prabowo will “develop in due time an effective model that will be suited for Indonesia’s needs and will help drive Indonesia’s development and growth in its next phase”.