The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that Singapore and New Zealand will establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), elevating bilateral relations to their peak. The announcement was issued on Monday (Sep 15) through an addendum to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s speech at the opening of the 15th Parliament.
President Tharman, however, stressed that the nation must navigate “fundamental shifts” in the world economy, citing protectionism and geopolitical volatility as headwinds.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan reinforced the message, saying the world is “transitioning to an era marked by disruptions to global trade, the weaponisation of economic tools, rising risks of conflicts, weakening multilateralism, sharper major power rivalry and rapid technological change.”
“These shifts pose serious challenges for Singapore, whose survival and prosperity depend on free trade, access to global supply chains and our role as a business and logistics hub,” he said.
MFA outlined its priorities: maintaining pragmatic engagement with all partners, strengthening Singapore’s reputation as a credible and reliable state, safeguarding overseas Singaporeans, and encouraging public understanding of foreign policy.
The CSP with New Zealand represents an upgrade from the Enhanced Partnership (EP) launched in 2019, which initially spanned four areas: trade and economics; security and defence; science, technology and innovation; and people-to-people links.
During Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s 2024 visit to Singapore, both sides introduced another priority area—supply chain resilience.
Mr Luxon said Singapore and New Zealand “share similar outlooks on regional and global issues, and have warm and personal bonds that have endured many decades.”
His Singaporean counterpart then, Lee Hsien Loong, noted that the two countries had agreed to negotiate a framework for continuity of essential trade during crises.
A year later, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong described New Zealand as one of Singapore’s “like-minded countries” for deepening strategic cooperation.
Singapore’s new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with New Zealand follows a strategy already in place with Australia, India and Vietnam.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the agreement represents the highest level of bilateral ties, aligning with Singapore’s push to deepen cooperation with trusted partners. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan noted the Republic is expanding its “circles of friends” to strengthen resilience.