Prabowo and PM Wong Agree Malacca Strait Will Remain Open

President Prabowo Subianto and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, during a Leaders’ Retreat at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday, agreed that the Malacca Strait and Singapore Strait will remain open shipping lanes as stipulated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Shipping and trade routes in the Malacca Strait were among the topics discussed at this year’s Indonesia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat, alongside other issues including dynamics in the Middle East region. “We discussed developments in the Middle East and their impact on Singapore, particularly regarding the Malacca Strait. Singapore and Indonesia, as littoral states, have the same strategic interest in safeguarding the Malacca Strait,” PM Wong said during a joint press statement with President Prabowo at Merdeka Palace. PM Wong continued that Indonesia and Singapore share an interest in upholding the rules of freedom of navigation and ensuring that maritime trade routes remain open as regulated under UNCLOS provisions. “So, President Prabowo and I agreed to do our respective parts, together with other littoral states, to ensure the Malacca Strait and Singapore Strait remain safe, open, and usable by all parties,” PM Wong stated. In the same press conference, President Prabowo also affirmed Indonesia’s commitment to maintaining the Malacca Strait as a safe and open shipping lane for all. “We reaffirm the stance of Indonesia and Singapore regarding the Malacca Strait. Indonesia and Singapore are countries directly bordering the Malacca Strait. We have an interest in keeping the Malacca Strait a free shipping lane for all parties,” President Prabowo said. Prabowo added that the current threats faced by both countries in safeguarding the Malacca Strait are not only related to security and defence matters such as piracy or maritime accidents, but also pollution. Therefore, close cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore is needed to address these threats. “We will continue to coordinate with Malaysia and Thailand to ensure, in accordance with the 1982 UNCLOS, that the Malacca Strait will always be open to all, safe, and accessible to anyone who needs access. I believe that is our firm stance, and I assure our friends in Singapore,” President Prabowo said.