World leaders congratulate Lawrence Wong on his appointment as PM

Congratulations, congratulations.

Fiona Tan| May 16, 2024, 06:22 PM

Lawrence Wong became Singapore's fourth Prime Minister (PM) on May 15, 2024.

After his swearing-in ceremony at the Istana, several world leaders expressed their congratulations to PM Wong on his appointment.

China

This included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who according to Xinhua News Agency, as quoted by CNA and The Straits Times, said he wishes to maintain close communication and collaboration with PM Wong to promote high-quality bilateral cooperation, and bring about greater contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Li added that China attaches great importance to the development of relations with Singapore, saying that Singapore and China have continually deepened mutual political trust and achieved fruitful results through cooperation in various fields over the last 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1990.

China's ambassador to Singapore, Cao Zhongming, who was invited to "witness the historic moment" of PM Wong's swearing-in, wrote in a Facebook post that he believes that bilateral relations between Singapore and China will go from strength to strength as Singapore enters the new era.

The United States

United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated PM Wong, saying that the U.S. looks forward to working with him to strengthen "the U.S.-Singapore strategic partnership and uphold international norms and standards in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world".

He added: "We will also continue to bolster our strong economic, security, and people-to-people ties for the benefit of the American and Singaporean peoples."

U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Jonathan Kaplan, who witnessed PM Wong's swearing-in, also extended his congratulations.

The United Kingdom (UK)

In a congratulatory letter to PM Wong, British PM Rishi Sunak said it was a pleasure to have met him at the G20 Finance Ministers meeting, and added that he hopes they will have an opportunity to meet again in person soon.

Sunak noted that Singapore is one of Britain's most important partners in South-east Asia and expressed that there is "enormous potential for our two countries to achieve even more together" especially in the areas of artificial intelligence, civil nuclear technology and digital defence.

He said: "I am confident that together we will ensure that our partnership delivers even more for our citizens."

Neighbours in Asia and the region

Closer to home, several leaders from Malaysia and the region also extended their congratulations to PM Wong.

Malaysia

Malaysia's DPM Zahid Hamidi said on X, formerly Twitter, he is confident that Singapore will continue to thrive and prosper under PM Wong's "capable leadership".

Zahid also paid tribute to PM Wong's predecessor, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, expressing his "profound gratitude" to Lee for his visionary leadership and commitment to fostering strong bilateral relations.

Noting that the strong relationship between Malaysia and Singapore is built on mutual respect and cooperation, Zahid said, "We look forward to further deepening our partnership in areas of mutual interest, including economic development, education and trade."

Other Malaysian leaders, including Minister of Trade Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Industry Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh and Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi, also congratulated PM Wong on their respective social media accounts.

Japan, India, the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates

Japan's PM Fumio Kishida congratulated PM Wong and said he would like to work with him to further strengthen bilateral relations between both countries.

He added that he was looking ahead to the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Japan-Singapore relations in 2026.

India's PM Narendra Modi wrote on X that he looks forward to working closely with PM Wong to advance both countries’ strategic partnership.

Additionally, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan wrote that they look forward to working with PM Wong and strengthening bilateral ties.

Top image by Andrew Koay.