Speech by President Halimah Yacob at Dinner hosted by Minister-President of the Federal State of Hesse Mr Volker Bouffier

Your Excellency, Minister-President of the Federal State of Hesse, Mr Volker Bouffier,

Mrs Ursula Bouffier

Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen,

“Schönen Abend” to all of you.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Minister-President Bouffier for hosting this wonderful banquet dinner in my honour. I am delighted to be in the charming city of Wiesbaden, here by the banks of the historic Rhine River. I am deeply honoured to be the first Singapore President to make a State Visit to Germany.

I wanted to visit Hesse for several reasons. First, Hesse occupies a central place in Germany’s political history. The Frankfurt Parliament of 18 May 1848 was the first freely elected legislature in the country. The Frankfurt Constitution of 1849 became the model for the Weimar Constitution of 1919, and after World War II, the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany of 1949.

Second, Hesse boasts a rich cultural heritage. The literary legacy of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was born in Frankfurt, and the beloved works of the Brothers Grimm, many of which were written in Kassel, continue to be celebrated worldwide today. Along the Rhine, German intellectuals, such as Friedrich Schlegel have composed verses paying tribute to the famed romantic route. The Frankfurt School, which was once attended by well-known individuals such as Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer who contributed greatly to global philosophical thought and critical theory, also had its beginnings in Hesse. In the short time that I have been here, I have witnessed many cultural, historical and architectural splendours of Hesse, including this beautiful castle that we are now in.

Third, we have a sizeable Singaporean community here. I am glad to have met some of them yesterday in Frankfurt. Most of them are young professionals and students, and some have married Germans. I am not surprised that they have chosen to make their homes in Hesse, which is cosmopolitan and has a modern, vibrant economy.

Singapore’s friendship with Germany has been strong and reliable. Our two countries share a common outlook on many important issues such as free trade, the rule of law and multilateralism. Singapore and Germany are also serious in tackling climate change, and strive to promote sustainable development.

The excellent bilateral relations between our two countries are anchored in our close economic ties. More than 1800 German companies are now based in Singapore, and German direct investments in Singapore are valued at 14.3 billion Euros. Germany is Singapore’s largest EU trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting to 14.8 billion Euros. This is a fifth of Singapore’s total trade with the EU.

In parallel with the growing relationship with Germany, Singapore has also developed a strong partnership with Hesse over the years. Trade between Hesse and Singapore is robust, amounting to 868 million Euros in 2018. There are many companies from Hesse in Singapore, ranging from well-known Mittelstände  such as Heraeus, to multinationals like Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank. It is my hope that more companies from Singapore and Hesse will take advantage of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force on 21 November 2019, to deepen our economic partnership.

Apart from trade, our political relations are also very close and warm, underpinned by frequent high level exchanges. I recall meeting Minister-President Bouffier when he visited Singapore in 2015. Vice Minister-President Tarek Al-Wazir was also in Singapore in 2017 to open the representative office of Hesse Trade and Invest. I welcome Minister-President Bouffier and other senior Hessen officials to visit Singapore again in the future.

I am confident that the linkages between our two countries will continue to broaden and deepen. In the face of growing doubts about globalisation, we must ensure that the partnership between our two countries will benefit our next generation of citizens. A good example is how the Technological University of Darmstadt, the University of Kassel and the Goethe University in Frankfurt have established exchange programmes with Singapore universities. There is also great scope for Singapore to learn from Germany’s renowned dual education system; something I witnessed first-hand while interacting with German apprentices today. In this respect, I am pleased that Singapore has signed 13 new Memorandums of Understanding and Agreements this week with top German companies and institutions aimed at promoting greater co-innovation, internship and vocational exchanges. I hope that more of our schools and universities explore opportunities with each other to either establish or expand collaboration, as this will help our citizens be more future-ready, and foster closer people-to-people ties between our two countries.

Your Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

May I now invite you to join me in a toast to the good health and success of Minister-President Bouffier, Mrs Bouffier, and the people of Hesse; and the close and enduring friendship between our two countries. “Zum Wohl!”