PM Wong to visit Qatar, UAE from Oct 18 to 22黄之锋总理将于10月18日至22日访问卡塔尔和阿联酋
PM Wong to visit Qatar and UAE on first Middle East trip as Singapore PM, strengthening trade and diplomatic ties. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be visiting the Middle East for the first time as head of government.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Published Oct 17, 2026, 05:00 PM
Updated Oct 17, 2026, 05:00 PM
SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make his first trip to the Middle East as head of government this week, with stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He will be in Doha from Oct 18 to 20 and visit Abu Dhabi and Dubai from Oct 20 to 22.
PM’s Wong visits are at the invitation of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement on Oct 17.
His trip comes on the back of several visits to the region by Singapore’s ministers in 2026.
The visits will provide an opportunity for Singapore to exchange views with regional leaders on developments in the Middle East and reaffirm its support for dialogue and diplomacy, said the PMO.
Singapore can also strengthen its cooperation with Qatar and the UAE in areas of shared interests, particularly energy security and economic resilience, it added.
In Qatar , PM Wong will call on the country’s head of state Sheikh Tamim , said PMO.
Both leaders will co-chair the ninth Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee (HLJC).
Established in 2006, the HLJC is the key platform which charts the strategic direction for relations between the two countries. The committee last met in August 2023 in Singapore, with then Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and Qatar PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as co-chairs.
On this trip, PM Wong will also meet his counterpart Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister.
Qatar is Singapore’s third-largest trade partner in goods in the Gulf Cooperation Council, with total trade in goods reaching $8.53 billion in 2025. The other member states of the regional bloc are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Qatar is also a major producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) worldwide, and is one of Singapore’s key suppliers.
There were more than 10 visits between Singapore and Qatar’s ministers in the past year, including Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan’s trips to the nation in May and September.
Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing was also in Qatar in early October to reaffirm ties and discuss shared interests like professional exchanges between both states and lessons from recent conflicts.
In the UAE, PM Wong will first stop in Abu Dhabi to call on the Emirates’ President Sheikh Mohamed and meet Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
He will then travel to Dubai, where he will meet UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the city’s deputy ruler .
The UAE is Singapore’s largest trading partner in the Middle East. In 2025, bilateral trade in goods hit $27.9 billion, and bilateral trade in services reached $12.8 billion in 2024.
Singapore and the UAE marked 40 years of diplomatic ties in 2025 and elevated bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership in 2019.
Both countries also cooperate on the economy through the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum, which recently held its 17th edition in Singapore in September.
During the trip, PM Wong will meet overseas Singaporeans at receptions in Doha and Dubai.
PM Wong will be accompanied by his spouse, Balakrishnan, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, and officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry and the PMO.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will be the acting prime minister while PM Wong is away.
United Arab Emirates
黄循财总理将以政府首脑的身份首次访问中东。
圣路易斯照片：阿里芬·贾马尔
发布于2026年10月17日下午5:00
更新于2026年10月17日下午5:00
新加坡——本周，总理黄循财将以政府首脑的身份首次访问中东，访问卡塔尔和阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）。
他将于10月18日至20日在多哈，并于10月20日至22日访问阿布扎比和迪拜。
总理办公室在10月17日发表声明称，黄英贤总理此次访问是应卡塔尔埃米尔谢赫·塔米姆·本·哈马德·阿勒萨尼和阿联酋总统谢赫·穆罕默德·本·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬的邀请。
在他此次访问之前，新加坡部长们已于 2026 年多次访问该地区。
总理办公室表示，此次访问将为新加坡提供与中东地区领导人就中东局势发展交换意见的机会，并重申新加坡对对话和外交的支持。
新加坡还表示，新加坡可以加强与卡塔尔和阿联酋在共同利益领域的合作，特别是能源安全和经济韧性方面。
总理办公室表示，黄之锋总理将在卡塔尔拜会该国国家元首谢赫·塔米姆。
两国领导人将共同主持第九届卡塔尔-新加坡高级别联合委员会（HLJC）会议。
成立于2006年的韩朝关系委员会是制定两国关系战略方向的关键平台。该委员会最近一次会议于2023年8月在新加坡举行，时任新加坡高级部长张志贤和卡塔尔首相谢赫·穆罕默德·本·阿卜杜勒拉赫曼·本·贾西姆·阿勒萨尼担任共同主席。
此次访问期间，黄之锋首相还将与卡塔尔外交大臣谢赫·穆罕默德会面。
卡塔尔是新加坡在海湾合作委员会中的第三大货物贸易伙伴，预计到2025年，两国货物贸易总额将达到85.3亿美元。该区域集团的其他成员国包括巴林、科威特、阿曼、沙特阿拉伯和阿联酋。
卡塔尔也是全球液化天然气 (LNG) 的主要生产国和出口国，是新加坡的主要供应商之一。
过去一年，新加坡和卡塔尔的部长级官员互访超过 10 次，其中包括外交部长维文·巴拉克里希南在 5 月和 9 月对卡塔尔的访问。
国防部长陈振声也于 10 月初访问了卡塔尔，重申两国关系，并讨论了共同关心的领域，例如两国之间的专业交流以及从近期冲突中吸取的教训。
在阿联酋，黄之锋总理将首先访问阿布扎比，拜会阿联酋总统谢赫·穆罕默德，并会见阿布扎比王储谢赫·哈立德·本·穆罕默德·本·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬。
随后他将前往迪拜，会见阿联酋副总理兼财政部长谢赫·马克图姆·本·穆罕默德·本·拉希德·阿勒马克图姆，后者同时也是迪拜的副统治者。
阿联酋是新加坡在中东地区最大的贸易伙伴。2025年，双边货物贸易额达到279亿美元；2024年，双边服务贸易额达到128亿美元。
新加坡和阿联酋于 2025 年庆祝建交 40 周年，并于 2019 年将双边关系提升为全面伙伴关系。
两国还通过阿布扎比-新加坡联合论坛在经济领域开展合作，该论坛最近于9月在新加坡举行了第17届论坛。
访问期间，黄英贤总理将在多哈和迪拜的招待会上会见海外新加坡人。
黄英贤总理将携夫人巴拉克里希南、能源、贸易及工业部长（能源及工业）陈诗玲、内政部兼外交部政务部长朱卡纳因·阿卜杜勒·拉希姆以及外交部、能源、贸易及工业部和总理府的官员一同出访。
黄之锋总理不在期间，副总理颜金勇将担任代理总理。
阿拉伯联合酋长国