'S'pore wants Indonesia to succeed': PM Wong meets President Prabowo at leaders' retreat

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Jul. 6 for the annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat.

Arrival

PM Wong landed in Indonesia on the evening of Jul. 5, where he was met on the tarmac by Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and Foreign Minister Sugiono, as he disembarked from a Republic of Singapore Air Force Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft.

He was met by Prabowo on Jul. 6 at the Istana Negara, where the pair engaged in a one-on-one meeting, then a bilateral meeting with accompanying ministers, and then a working lunch hosted by Prabowo.

On this visit, PM Wong was accompanied by several cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng, and Minister for Social and Family Development, Masagos Zulkifli.

The pair oversaw the exchange of several agreements and Memorandums of Understanding, before speaking to the press.

Special relationship

PM Wong emphasised the role the Leaders' Retreat played in the Singapore-Indonesia relationship, seeing that it reflected a special relationship between the two countries, which is also characterised by close ties, mutual trust, respect, and understanding.

Singapore and Indonesia were closely linked, and PM Wong emphasised that Singapore wanted Indonesia to succeed.

He said that Singapore's confidence in Indonesia was reflected in its actions, noting that Singapore had invested consistently in Indonesia over many years and would continue to do so.

Such investment created businesses, downstream industries, digital infrastructure opportunities, and good jobs for Indonesians.

Singaporean companies, meanwhile, continue to see many opportunities in Indonesia, such as the “flagship collaboration” in the Batam, Bintan, and Karimun (BKK) region.

PM Wong emphasised that by working together, Singapore and Indonesia could create many more opportunities, strengthen the two countries' resilience, and make the region, through Asean, more competitive.

Three areas

He highlighted three areas of Singapore-Indonesian cooperation: first, in energy security and diversification; second, in people-to-people ties; and third, in improved institutional links.

Energy

PM Wong said that developments in the Middle East had reminded both countries of the importance of energy security and diversification, and noted Indonesia's tremendous potential in renewable energy.

Singapore was investing in renewable energy projects in Indonesia, as well as signing an MOU to pave the way for cross-border electricity projects.

People-to-people ties

Second, PM Wong spoke about the people-to-people ties between Singapore and Indonesia, giving examples such as student exchanges as well as expanded transport connectivity links.

He gave the example of national carriers launching direct flights between an ever-increasing number of Indonesian cities, such as between Singapore and Pontianak, that launched in the past week.

He said that he hoped more flight connections would enable tourists and, particularly, Singaporeans to “experience the beauty of Indonesia, as well as to support business travel and facilitate more interactions between our people.”

Institutional links

Finally, he highlighted a strong institutional link between the two countries, noting the particularly good relations between the Singapore Armed Forces and the TNI.

He highlighted the contributions that Prabowo had made in fostering strong ties between the two countries' militaries when he was Defence Minister.

Under the Defence Cooperation Agreement, both militaries were exploring the development of training facilities in West Kalimantan, which would provide more opportunities to train together and deepen defence relations.

Engage and consult

PM Wong said that in light of Singapore becoming Asean Chair in 2027, it will “engage and consult closely” with Indonesia over its chairmanship agenda.

He also said that Singapore and Indonesia were “strategically aligned" when it came to the Straits of Malacca.

“We both share (an) interest in upholding navigational rights and freedoms, and keeping sea lines of communication open to all, including unimpeded right of transit passage of vessels in accordance with UNCLOS, which is also customary international law.”

In conclusion, he lauded the close and deep partnership between Singapore and Indonesia, and looked forward to taking relations to “even greater heights” while celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties in 2027.