The UK’s economy will be bolstered and the country's security strengthened under a new bilateral partnership with Singapore agreed by the Prime Minister on 9 September.
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The Prime Minister will meet Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the margins of the G20 Summit in India to sign a new UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership.
This agreement will set the direction of UK-Singapore relations for the next decade, upgrading the UK’s trade and investment relationship with one of Southeast Asia’s leading economies in recognition of our shared expertise and interests in areas like technology and clean energy.
Following the Strategic Partnership, the UK and Singapore will work to conclude a new and modern bilateral investment treaty the first the UK has negotiated since we left the EU. This will give Singaporean companies more confidence to invest in the UK and vice-versa, creating jobs and growing our economies.
Singapore is one of the UK’s closest and most dynamic partners in the region, with our £21 billion trade relationship accounting for 40% of our total trade with Southeast Asia.
Singaporean entities have a total of £226 billion invested in the UK. Last year the UK and Singapore signed a first of its kind Digital Economy Agreement, to help businesses in both our countries seize new trade opportunities.
In addition to enhanced economic cooperation, the new UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership will strengthen security cooperation, science and technology innovation, and research and development.
This includes collaboration to counter new and emerging threats in domains like cyber, through a first of its kind partnership between Singapore’s new Digital and Intelligence Service and the UK.
The Prime Minister said: "I am totally committed to delivering on my priorities to halve inflation, grow the economy while reducing government debt, cut NHS waiting lists and stop the boats. But none of these priorities can be achieved without working with our international partners.
"As Prime Minister, I’ve put the interests of the British people front and centre of my international engagement. I am ensuring that diplomacy delivers.
"You have already seen that through deals that will stop illegal migration, make our economy more secure and increase trade with our international partners.
"This new agreement with Singapore will take us even further in delivering our priorities and ensure that, as we map the future of the world economy, we are doing so alongside our closest partners." ■