On 3 December the 14th meeting of the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC) was held in Singapore. Attending were the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles; the Foreign Minister, Senator Penny Wong; the Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator Don Farrell; the Singaporean Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen; the Singaporean Foreign Minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan; and the Minister for Trade and Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Gan Kim Yong.
The SAJMC provided an opportunity to increase cooperation under the 2015 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), including across defence and security, trade and investment, the green and digital economies, science and innovation, education and the arts.
During the meeting, the Ministers commended the substantial progress in defence cooperation. They recognised that the defence relationship had matured into a mutually beneficial and deep one under the auspices of the CSP and the resultant Treaty on Military Training and Training Area Development ratified by the Australian Parliament in 2020.
The Ministers noted the landmark completion of the jointly developed Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) expansion in Queensland, Australia this year, ahead of the 35th anniversary of the SAF’s training at SWBTA in 2025. The success of the joint development benefits both the SAF and the Australian Defence Force, and paves the way for more large-scale and complex training by the SAF in SWBTA.
The Singaporean media release said the Ministers looked forward to achieving breakthroughs under CSP 2.0 comparable to the 2015 CSP. Dr Ng said, “If the defence relationship outlined by CSP 2.0 is realised, it will result for Singapore that Australia will be one of our closest and most valuable defence partners, and hopefully us to them. So let me thank them for their support over the years and I look forward to that agreement.”
Ministers also exchanged views on global and regional developments. They reaffirmed the close cooperation between both countries on the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus and the Five Power Defence Arrangements, and agreed that both countries would continue to contribute constructively to regional security and stability.
As part of the visit, the Australian delegation met with the Singapore’s Prime Minister, Mr Lawrence Wong.
Sources: Australian and Singapore Defence.
