Indonesia and Singapore Agree on 26 Strategic Partnerships, Covering Investment to Energy

President Prabowo Subianto and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed on 26 strategic partnerships during the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday. The agreements cover the investment, energy, defence, digital transformation, health, education, and human resource development sectors. The 26 agreements consist of 18 government-to-government (G-to-G) and eight business-to-business (B-to-B) partnerships. President Prabowo stated that the achievements demonstrate the increasingly productive and concrete cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore across various fields. The meeting began with a tête-à-tête between Prabowo and Wong, discussing bilateral economic relations and regional geopolitical developments. Prime Minister Wong affirmed Singapore’s strong confidence in Indonesia’s economic prospects, noting that Indonesia’s success benefits both nations. He highlighted that Singapore’s consistent investment in Indonesia not only brings capital flows but also creates new industries, strengthens downstream processing, builds digital infrastructure, and generates employment. Wong cited the Batam, Bintan, and Karimun region as a growing digital economy hub and noted that the Kendal Industrial Park, now in its tenth year, is fully occupied and will be expanded by approximately 1,000 hectares to accommodate new investment. In the energy sector, both countries agreed on a cross-border electricity trading roadmap through a partnership between Danantara and Keppel Electric, Sembcorp Industries, and Singapore Energy Interconnections. The project supports regional electricity trade and the establishment of the ASEAN Power Grid. The two nations will also accelerate a large-scale solar power project in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, and signed a carbon trading cooperation agreement under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, expected to unlock green economy investments. In education and human resource development, Indonesia and Singapore reactivated an education working group, expanded research collaboration, and developed programmes for young farmers. Singapore also expressed support for student exchanges through the Garuda School Programme. Bilateral ties will be further strengthened through enhanced air connectivity, including a new direct flight route between Singapore and Pontianak, while the implementation of the Defence Cooperation Agreement will be reinforced through the development of joint training facilities for the Indonesian National Armed Forces and the Singapore Armed Forces.