Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met in Canberra on Wednesday for the 10th Singapore-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation as they marked 60 years of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). Wong is on a four-day official visit to Australia that began on October 6.
According to Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the leaders reviewed the progress of the CSP, launched in 2015, which covers six areas — trade, defence, innovation, people-to-people ties, digital economy, and green economy. Over 110 initiatives have been implemented under this framework.
Recognising its success, Wong and Albanese unveiled CSP 2.0, introducing 80 new initiatives, including 20 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and 11 new dialogues. The upgraded partnership focuses on five pillars: peace and stability, economic connectivity, net-zero transition, innovation, and capacity building.
The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including ASEAN-Australia ties, economic integration, and multilateral cooperation. Wong welcomed Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 and its AU$175 million contribution to Singapore’s Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership. Wong will later visit the Australian War Memorial and meet key Australian leaders before traveling to New Zealand.
