Singapore and the Philippines to expand collaboration in renewable energy, sustainability and healthcare
Singapore and the Philippines to expand collaboration in renewable energy, sustainability and healthcare
SINGAPORE - Singapore and the Philippines will deepen their collaboration in several areas, including renewable energy, sustainability, healthcare and civil service development.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr announced this at a joint press conference on June 4, the first day of an introductory visit to Manila by PM Wong.
At the press conference at Malacanang Palace following their meeting, PM Wong thanked President Marcos for his invitation to visit and said the bilateral relationship 'has never been better'.
'It is a partnership that has been carefully nurtured over the decades by successive generations of leaders and officials,' he said.
'It is built on a high degree of mutual trust and respect, and it has enabled mutually beneficial cooperation over a wide range of areas, for example in trade and investments.'
On renewable energy, the two countries agreed to deepen both bilateral and regional cooperation, and to accelerate efforts to achieve the Asean power grid.
This is a plan to connect the electricity networks of the group's 10 member countries to enable cross-border power trading by 2045.
Mr Marcos said Singapore will continue to be a major partner in the Philippines' aspiration to diversify its energy sources, and hailed the robust ties between the two countries.
PM Wong said Singapore companies are interested in renewable energy in the Philippines, including solar and wind projects.
'Such projects can generate economic opportunities for the Philippines, while supporting the Philippines' renewable energy targets,' he added.
On the sustainability front, the two countries are working to finalise a legally binding implementation agreement for cross-border carbon credit transfers that is aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement governs international cooperation to tackle climate change, and includes guidelines for countries to trade carbon credits to meet their climate targets.
An implementation agreement will facilitate commercial participation in carbon credits projects, which can spur technology transfer, green investment and create good jobs, said PM Wong.
The two leaders also said their respective health ministries are exploring ways to deepen health cooperation, such as in upskilling and the reintegration of returning Filipinos into the Philippine healthcare system.
Mr Marcos expressed his appreciation that Singapore has ensured the welfare, safety and security of the over 200,000 Filipinos working in the city-state, while PM Wong said Singapore is committed to being a good second home for them.
'They live and work in Singapore, contributing to our economy and society and enriching our cultural diversity,' said PM Wong.
'I conveyed to the President Singapore's appreciation for their invaluable contributions, especially the Filipino healthcare workers who stood with us during the Covid-19 pandemic.'
Mr Marcos noted that the two sides are working to conclude an agreement on health cooperation through a digital leadership programme between the Philippine Civil Service Commission and the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Besides this collaboration, PM Wong said Temasek Foundation has also been active in the healthcare space in Taguig City – which is to the east of Manila – and the two countries will continue to step up cooperation in this field.
Both countries also agreed to work 'shoulder to shoulder' at the Asean level, so as to accelerate regional integration and unlock the grouping's full potential, said PM Wong.
The Philippines can count on Singapore's full support for its Asean chairmanship in 2026, he added.
'We will coordinate closely, because Singapore takes over from the Philippines the Asean chairmanship the following year,' he said.
During their meeting, the leaders reaffirmed the excellent bilateral ties between the two countries, exchanged views on regional and global developments, and underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation towards a more resilient Asean, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
At an official dinner held in his honour, PM Wong noted that this was his first overseas visit since Singapore's recent general election, and also his first visit to the Philippines as Prime Minister.
He said the visit came as the two countries have become more connected than ever, having signed an upgraded Singapore-Philippines air service agreement in May 2024.
The agreement, which raised the number of codeshare services between each country's airlines from 35 to up to 150 flights, will enable more exchanges between the two peoples, said PM Wong.
'The Singapore-Philippines partnership is built on firm and growing connections between our countries,' he said in a toast speech.
'And I look forward to working with President Marcos Jr to take it to even greater heights.'
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong faces second charge under national security law
Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong walks to a prison van to head to court with other activists, over a national security law charge, in Hong Kong, China March 4, 2021. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo HONG KONG - Hong Kong authorities once again arrested prominent activist Joshua Wong on Friday and charged him with conspiracy to collude with a foreign country under a Beijing-imposed national security law. Wong, 28, was originally set to be released in January 2027 from a 56-month jail sentence he is serving under the same law for conspiracy to commit subversion after he participated in an unofficial primary election. Taken to the West Kowloon magistrates' courts, Wong faced a new charge of conspiracy to collude with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security. The former student pro-democracy activist, who wore a blue shirt and appeared noticeably thinner than before, replied, "Understand," when the clerk read out the charge and details of the offence. Wong did not apply for bail, and the case was adjourned to August 8. Before returning to custody, he waved, shrugged, and shook his head in the direction of the public gallery. In a statement, Hong Kong's national security police said they had arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of the offence, as well as for "dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence". A charge sheet seen by Reuters accuses Wong of having conspired with exiled activist Nathan Law and others to ask foreign countries, institutions, organizations, or individuals outside China to impose sanctions or blockades. Such actions against Hong Kong or China, along with other hostile activities targeting them, took place in 2020, between July 1 and November 23, it added. The National Security Law, which punishes offences such as acts of subversion, collusion with foreign forces, and terrorism, with terms of up to life in jail, was imposed by Beijing on the former British colony in 2020. The Chinese and Hong Kong governments say the law is necessary to restore stability following anti-government protests in 2019. But some Western governments have criticised it as being used to suppress free speech and dissent. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Why Myanmar and Laos have been caught up in Trump's sweeping travel bans
US President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on June 4 banning citizens from 12 countries from entering the US. PHOTO: REUTERS – The inclusion of Myanmar and Laos on a list of countries deemed by the Trump administration to pose terrorist and national security threats to the United States prompted immediate double takes from analysts in the Asean region. US President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on June 4 banning citizens from 12 countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa, from entering the US, reinstating and expanding on one of the most controversial measures from his first term in office. Partial restrictions apply to seven additional countries. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
12 hours ago
- Business Times
Non-tariff barriers, not tariffs, are stalling Asean's trade goals
[SINGAPORE] While global headlines fixate on tariff wars and rising protectionism sparked by US President Donald Trump's administration and its use of levies as geopolitical leverage, analysts say it is non-tariff barriers that are quietly choking trade within South-east Asia. In the Asean context, a key non-tariff barrier hindering deeper regional trade integration are the divergent national standards, particularly in areas such as testing and certification, said Arief Ramayandi, a senior research fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute. 'These barriers are compounded by practices such as import licensing, quotas, complex customs procedures and local content regulations,' he told The Business Times. Some of these measures reflect legitimate policy goals and are likely to remain in place. But others are seen as unnecessarily restrictive, creating persistent roadblocks that have proven difficult to remove, he said. The answer, Ramayandi suggested, lies in greater harmonisation across standards and certification processes, and possibly the establishment of an independent mechanism to monitor and address non-tariff barrier-related practices more effectively. Natixis' senior economist for emerging Asia Trinh Nguyen noted that greater ease of worker mobility as well as better connectivity and infrastructure beyond mainland South-east Asia are also key to greater regional integration. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Amid a broader global shift away from the world's largest consumer towards alternative economies and regional pacts, trade-reliant South-east Asia has set itself apart with repeated calls for unity and coordinated efforts to deepen intra-bloc trade. Notably, intra-Asean trade accounts for roughly a fifth of the ten-member alliance's total trade, which pales in comparison to the share of intra-European Union trade that's around three times larger. The 27-member bloc may be the world's largest single market, but Asean has also fully eliminated tariffs on 98.6 per cent of products traded in the bloc since 2020. Asked whether full tariff elimination within Asean would significantly help the bloc's standing in the current uncertain trade environment, Stephen Olson, a visiting senior fellow at the Iseas – Yusof Ishak Institute told BT that with tariffs within the region already so low, additional cuts are 'unlikely to be a game changer'. The remaining duties simply reflect the need of various Asean member states to continue providing a degree of protection to certain industries that are key to the government, whether it be for economic, strategic or social considerations, he explained. Asean on May 25 concluded negotiations on a revised trade in goods deal – the cornerstone of its economic integration framework – at the bloc's summit in Kuala Lumpur. Its conclusion to upgrade the pact 'sends a positive signal that the bloc remains highly committed to an open and rules-based multilateral trading system that has served regional growth well over the years', said DBS Group Research senior economists Radhika Rao and Chua Han Teng. The duo added that from a medium-term perspective, the region will also need to generate sufficient demand at home to benefit from intra-regional trade and investment flows, whilst lowering reliance on extra-regional markets. But the way Ramayandi sees it, the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement 'does not seem to be an effective tool for increasing intra-Asean trade volumes, which have been relatively steady since 2010, if not declining'. He noted that the upgraded deal is now set to address issues such as non-tariff barriers, digital trade, green trade and the resilience of supply chains. But 'although this sounds promising, its effectiveness in increasing the trade volumes is yet to be seen', said the economist. 'Non-tariff barriers are far more important, and it remains to be seen if the revised agreement will have the teeth to make meaningful progress on that front,' said Olson from Iseas – Yusof Ishak.
