Singapore and Australia share a "special relationship" that is grounded in trust and alignment.
This, in turn, has enabled the two countries to deepen engagement — in a relevant and timely way, said Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (July 27).
"The deep reservoir of trust, goodwill and strategic alignment has not changed in decades," Dr Balakrishnan noted in his remarks at a joint press conference at the 15th Singapore-Australia joint ministerial committee meeting in Adelaide.
Going back in history, the minister noted that Australian troops were housed in Singapore in the early days following its independence, and, later, while continuing to be part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, the two countries sought to maintain trade links.
"We have had military training in Australia for decades, and on a scale which is not possible in any other country, and it’s not just because of geography, but because of the deep, close relationship between our defence establishment and the trust," Dr Balakrishnan said.
Taking stock of the comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) between the two countries, upgraded to a "2.0" during Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's official visit in October last year, he pointed out that the two countries have again found ways to cooperate, building on the reservoir of trust and alignment.
"...both Australia and Singapore have to survive in a more fractured, fractious, uncertain world, and supply chain resilience cannot be taken for granted. So it’s no accident that again you see, we’ve entered into these agreements for economic resilience, supply chain resilience, and even the military dimension to it," Dr Balakrishnan explained.
The two countries on Monday signed a legally-binding protocol on economic resilience and essential supplies, and a defence industrial cooperation arrangement.
Under the agreement, Singapore and Australia have committed to endeavour not to adopt or maintain export restrictions on agreed essential items, including petroleum products such as diesel and liquefied natural gas.
Meanwhile, the arrangement will see the two countries explore opportunities for cooperation in sustainment, production and supply chain risk management.
Beyond trust, Dr Balakrishnan said that strategic perspective and complementarity have allowed the "truly unique relationship" to continue for some 30 years, since it was first established in 1996 as a high-level dialogue mechanism for the foreign affairs, defence and trade ministers of the two countries.
He added that while the two nations are not identical in their strategic circumstances, they have a certain shared frame of reference in the way they analyse the world — in both challenges and opportunities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement after the meeting that the ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments, reaffirming their commitment to uphold Asean centrality, while working together to support the practical implementation of the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, including Singapore's chairmanship of Asean next year.
They also emphasised the importance of the right of unimpeded transit passage of vessels and aircraft in straits used for international navigation in accordance with international law as reflected in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, while expressing "serious concern" over behaviour that increased the risk of miscalculation and unilateral actions that could threaten peace, security, and stability in the South China Sea.
On the transition to net-zero, the two countries reaffirmed their shared commitment to collaborate on efforts to enhance grid interconnectivity, in line with the bilateral cross-border electricity trade framework, which supports the development of a regional architecture for cross-border electricity trade.
They also reaffirmed their shared commitment to accelerate the uptake of renewable energy and support energy security in Southeast Asia and facilitate new trade and investment opportunities in these areas, MFA said.
Summing up the two countries' relationship amid increased uncertainties, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said that Australia is "enormously grateful" for its relationship with Singapore.
"Over the last three months, as we have seen one of the biggest energy shocks to the world; what has become completely clear is that in the midst of that, the energy partnership between Australia and Singapore has stood tall and firm, and has been profoundly important in terms of maintaining fuel supplies here in Australia.
"And it speaks to the importance of the relationships that we have within our region and maintaining them in a stable and sensible and reasoned way. But it absolutely speaks to the depth of trust between Australia and Singapore, and we could not be more grateful to all of you for that."
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