Remarks by President Halimah Yacob at the Joint Press Conference for State Visit to Indonesia

Thank you, President Joko Widodo for your kind words. My delegation and I appreciate the warm welcome and hospitality shown by the government and the people of Indonesia. I am delighted to be here on my first State Visit to Indonesia.

Singapore and Indonesia are old friends and close neighbours. Bilateral relations have flourished since the establishment of diplomatic relations 52 years ago. When President Jokowi and I met earlier today, we reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations and the extensive and mutually-beneficial cooperation between our two countries across the economic, cultural, security and people-to-people spheres.

President Jokowi and I agreed that the economic ties between our two countries are robust and expanding. Singapore has been Indonesia’s top foreign investor for the past six years. This demonstrates Singapore’s confidence in Indonesia’s vibrant economy. Our two countries are among each other’s top trading partners. Singapore and Indonesia have successful joint projects such as the Kendal Industrial Park in Semarang, which has attracted investments valued at US$843 million and will create more than 8,000 jobs. I am happy to hear that the Kendal Industrial Park has been established as a Special Economic Zone, which will make it even more attractive to investors.

There is still room for us to do more on the economic front. I was pleased to witness the signing of the updated Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between Singapore and Indonesia, or the DTA, just now. The updated DTA sends a strong signal of our two countries’ commitment to strengthen economic cooperation amidst the challenging global economic situation. Amongst other things, the updated DTA lowers the withholding tax rate for royalties and branch profits. I would like to thank the officials from both sides for their tireless work in getting this Agreement concluded successfully. We look forward to the swift ratification and entry into force of the updated DTA, as well as the Bilateral Investment Treaty which we signed in 2018. Taken together, these agreements will benefit businesses in both Singapore and Indonesia, and boost bilateral investments and trade.  

President Jokowi and I also had a good discussion on the excellent cooperation between our two countries in human resource development. The establishment of the Kendal Polytechnic within the Kendal Industrial Park is a good example of how Singapore’s investments support skills training for the Indonesian workforce. Tomorrow I will visit Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry to observe a train-the-trainer programme that is jointly supported by the Singapore Polytechnic and the Ministry of Industry to prepare Indonesian factories and workers for Industry 4.0. Indonesia’s young, dynamic and entrepreneurial population will drive Indonesia’s growth in the coming years. Singapore looks forward to working with Indonesia in advancing human resource cooperation for mutual benefit.

Cooperation between the security agencies of our two countries is longstanding, and we are constantly upgrading this cooperation to deal with new threats and issues. For instance, the Singapore Police Coast Guard and Indonesia’s Directorate-General of Customs and Excise work closely together to combat smuggling, trafficking of illegal goods, and other transnational crimes. I am happy to note that the two agencies have signed an MOU that provides for information exchanges and the conduct of regular joint operations, patrols, and bilateral training initiatives.

President Jokowi and I also discussed the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. Indonesia is one of Singapore’s most important bilateral partners for health and both countries signed an MOU on Health Cooperation in May 2019. Singapore will continue working closely with Indonesia, and with other countries and the WHO, in the detection, assessment and response to such public health events.

Officials from Singapore and Indonesia have met several times and are continuing discussions on the basis of an agreed framework for discussion on both the Flight Information Region (FIR) and military training issues. The framework provides a sound and comprehensive basis to work out solutions to these two issues which are durable and for the long haul.

While no deadline has been set for the conclusion of these negotiations, Singapore is committed to working with Indonesia to resolve these longstanding issues in an open and constructive manner.

Strong people-to-people ties anchor the relationship between Singapore and Indonesia. Our cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges are extensive and we can still do better. For example, Youth Corps Singapore, which is part of the National Youth Council, hopes to partner more Indonesian organisations and community partners to bring Singaporean and Indonesian youth together to deepen friendship and mutual understanding. Tomorrow, I will witness a project, initiated by the Singapore International Foundation in partnership with the Foundation for the Development of Children with Special Needs in Jakarta and SingHealth, that provides training for Indonesian special education practitioners on occupational therapy for children with special needs.

Singapore is also keen to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia’s regions and cities. In this regard, I look forward to visiting Yogyakarta tomorrow, where I will meet Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, the Governor of Yogyakarta. I will also visit the renowned Gadjah Mada University, which has a number of ongoing partnerships with universities in Singapore.

In closing, let me say that the relationship between Singapore and Indonesia is a long standing and resilient one. As good neighbours, our two countries have reaped opportunities and tackled challenges together. In the midst of the global economic uncertainty and other challenges that we face today, it is all the more important for Singapore and Indonesia to work closely together for the mutual benefit of our two peoples. I am confident that the bilateral relations between Singapore and Indonesia will grow from strength to strength in the coming years. Thank you.