Singaporean Prime Minister in Australia to boost ties
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong began a three-day official visit to Australia on October 11, the Prime Minister Office (PMO) announced the same day.
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During the visit, the PM is scheduled to hold an annual meeting with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull, in line with the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between the two countries, according to the PMO statement.
Lee will become the first Singaporean Prime Minister to deliver a speech at the Australian parliament.
He is also slated to meet with Governor General Peter Cosgrove, Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament Bill Shorten and Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory Andrew Barr.
The PMO also said the two PMs will witness the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding on military training, amendments to the bilateral trade agreement, and cooperation on transnational drug crime, among others.
Australia is an important economic partner of Singapore. Two-way trade reached 20.2 billion SGD (US$14.7 billion) last year. Australia was the 12th largest trade partner of Singapore in 2015 while the island state was the fifth biggest trade partner of Australia in 2014. Singapore is the fifth largest foreign investor in Australia.
The two countries elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in June, 2015.
