Singapore, Cambodia solidify joint efforts in energy, climate finance, agri-trade
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong made this point on Wednesday (Jul 2), in a toast at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, at an official lunch hosted by his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet.
The Singapore leader is on a one-day trip to the kingdom. This is his eighth stop in an introductory tour of the Asean member states, which took him to Brunei and Malaysia last June, Laos in October, Indonesia and Thailand in November, Vietnam this March and the Philippines in June.
'In this uncertain global environment, it is more important than ever for Asean to stay cohesive, uphold open channels of dialogue, and work together to resolve our differences peacefully,' he said.
'Only then can we preserve our relevance, and continue advancing the region's collective interests.'
Both leaders discussed several priority areas of cooperation, including the import of low-carbon electricity from Cambodia to Singapore.
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An implementation agreement on carbon credits is also in the works.
PM Wong said: 'This will mobilise financing for clean-energy projects, uplift rural communities and improve livelihoods, while enabling both our countries to hit our net-zero goals.'
On agri-trade cooperation, he noted that Cambodia stands as a key agricultural exporter, while Singapore imports almost everything its people eat.
The Republic is also keen to diversify its sources of food imports, so closer collaboration will be 'mutually beneficial', he said.
Long friendship
Noting that both nations commemorate six decades of diplomatic ties this year, PM Wong pointed out that Cambodia was among the first countries to recognise Singapore's sovereignty.
The kingdom was also one of five countries where the Republic first opened its overseas missions.
The Singapore leader said: 'Our ties (were) built on the strong foundation laid by then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and His Majesty, King-Father Norodom Sihanouk. It is a foundation of mutual respect, trust and friendship that continues to guide our relationship today.'
Hun Manet, the eldest son of long-time ruler Hun Sen, made his first visit to Singapore as Cambodia's prime minister last June. He took office in August 2023.
PM Wong added that, today, Singapore stands as one of Cambodia's largest investors and trading partners.
Latest figures put Singapore as Cambodia's third-largest foreign investor last year, with bilateral trade growing 7.1 per cent year on year to S$4.83 billion.
These investments sweep across the real estate, energy, trading and distribution, agribusiness, food, consumer, education and finance sectors.
PM Wong described both countries as 'steadfast partners' in human development.
Nearly 19,000 Cambodian officials have visited Singapore for training programmes in public health, digital governance and public administration.
Today, Cambodia has an 'ambitious' strategy to achieve high-income status by 2050, having made 'remarkable strides' in its transformation from a post-conflict society to a rapidly developing nation, said PM Wong.
'Singapore will continue to walk alongside Cambodia in this development journey.'
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