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Germany and Singapore: Bilateral relations

15.02.2024 - Article

Germany and Singapore enjoy excellent bilateral relations, which are underlined by high-level political visits. Both countries regard one another as key countries in their respective regions. There is a large degree of consensus between the two countries on important foreign policy issues (including multilateralism, global free trade, climate protection, maritime security and counter-terrorism). A German-Singaporean declaration that was signed by both Heads of Government in November 2022 – Partners for a Resilient and Sustainable Future – aims to deepen cooperation across a range of areas.

Both countries consider each other to be not only important economic partners, but also gateways to the EU and the ASEAN region. On the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Conference that was held in Singapore in November 2022, the Economics Ministers of both countries signed an agreement outlining a Framework for Sustainability and Innovation that underscores their determination to further expand cooperation on economic policy. The volume of bilateral trade amounts to 14.7 billion euro in 2022. Some 2200 German companies are registered in Singapore. The German Chamber of Commerce Abroad and investment promotion agencies in Germany (including Germany Trade & Invest and the Singapore Business Forum) and in Singapore (including the Economic Development Board and Enterprise Singapore) ensure that there is intensive exchange in both directions. Singapore hosts a large number of trade fairs, many of which include large stands by German companies. Collaboration on technologies of the future has a particularly high profile.

A bilateral cultural agreement has been in place since 1990. Singapore is home to a branch of the Goethe-Institut and a German Academic Exchange Service Information Point. The first overseas campus of a German university – the Technical University of Munich (TUM) – was set up in Singapore in 2002, while Fraunhofer Singapore, the first Asian affiliate of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, opened in 2017. The German European School Singapore – the largest German school abroad in Asia – celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021/2022.

The Federal Foreign Office on the Indo-Pacific Region

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