Singapore and the UAE to launch economic partnership negotiations to further trade, investment links

During their meeting in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed the inking of three agreements on energy cooperation, water cooperation and disease vector control.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was received by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi at the Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Oct 21, 2026. (Photo: Ministry of Digital Development and Information)

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SINGAPORE: Singapore and the United Arab Emirates intend to launch negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 21).

The agreement will deepen economic integration, facilitate trade and investment flows, and create opportunities for businesses in both countries, the MFA said.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan during an official visit by Mr Wong to the Middle East, including a stop in Qatar.

Mr Wong met with Sheikh Mohamed in Abu Dhabi, where the two leaders reaffirmed the warm and longstanding relations between Singapore and the UAE.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less They also witnessed the exchange of three Memorandums of Understanding in energy cooperation, water cooperation and disease vector control, and welcomed the establishment of a new joint energy task force between both countries. The task force will be able to identify opportunities across the energy value chain, from trading to infrastructure and downstream activities. Both sides also welcomed ongoing cooperation in nuclear energy, involving the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC). Mr Wong also met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan during his visit. Both leaders welcomed the strong economic and commercial ties between their countries and discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation in areas of shared priorities. "The UAE is Singapore’s largest trading partner in the Middle East. Our economic ties are strong, and we see good potential to deepen cooperation in areas such as AI, digitalisation, energy, defence and space," Mr Wong said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. To take the economic partnership further, discussions on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement are starting, he said.

They also witnessed the exchange of three Memorandums of Understanding in energy cooperation, water cooperation and disease vector control, and welcomed the establishment of a new joint energy task force between both countries.

The task force will be able to identify opportunities across the energy value chain, from trading to infrastructure and downstream activities. Both sides also welcomed ongoing cooperation in nuclear energy, involving the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC).

Mr Wong also met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan during his visit. Both leaders welcomed the strong economic and commercial ties between their countries and discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation in areas of shared priorities.

"The UAE is Singapore’s largest trading partner in the Middle East. Our economic ties are strong, and we see good potential to deepen cooperation in areas such as AI, digitalisation, energy, defence and space," Mr Wong said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

To take the economic partnership further, discussions on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement are starting, he said.

Against the backdrop of an increasingly uncertain global environment, Mr Wong and Sheikh Mohamed underscored the importance of trusted partnerships and strengthening economic and security resilience.

Mr Wong reaffirmed Singapore's solidarity with the UAE and expressed confidence in the country's resilience and long-term economic prospects.

"This has been a difficult period for the UAE and the wider Middle East. Through these challenging times, Singapore stands with the UAE as a trusted partner and friend," he wrote on Facebook, adding that he was glad to meet the UAE leader in person after speaking with him on the phone soon after the regional conflict broke out in March.

Mr Wong said they exchanged views on regional developments and the importance of restoring peace and stability. They also discussed how to strengthen ties between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Singapore will chair ASEAN in 2027, where both nations hope to advance talks toward an ASEAN–GCC Free Trade Agreement, Singapore and UAE said in a joint statement.

Singapore and the UAE commemorated 40 years of diplomatic relations last year, and total non-oil bilateral trade reached around US$6.5 billion last year, up 25 per cent from the year before.

In a joint statement, the two countries said they agreed to work towards further expanding trade and investment ties, and welcomed Singapore state investor Temasek's announcement that it would deepen its presence in the UAE by opening an office in Abu Dhabi.

Temasek announced last month that it plans to open offices in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in the first half of next year, subject to approvals. That would bring Temasek's global network to 15 offices in 11 countries.

Towards the end of his five-day visit to the region, Mr Wong will be visiting Dubai to meet UAE's Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Maktoum Mohamed Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also Finance Minister and Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

He will also attend a reception for overseas Singaporeans. More than 4,000 Singaporeans live in the UAE, the biggest such community in the region.

"Both sides welcomed the deepening of cultural and people-to-people ties between Singapore and the UAE, which form an important foundation of the bilateral relationship," the joint statement said.

Mr Wong will return to Singapore on Thursday.

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在阿布扎比会晤期间，马来西亚总理黄循财和阿联酋总统谢赫·穆罕默德·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬见证了能源合作、水资源合作和疾病媒介控制三项协议的签署。

2026年10月21日，加拿大总理黄循财在阿联酋阿布扎比的卡斯尔·阿瓦坦宫会见了阿联酋总统兼阿布扎比酋长穆罕默德·本·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬殿下。（图片：数字发展和信息部）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：新加坡外交部周三（10月21日）发表声明称，新加坡和阿拉伯联合酋长国计划就全面经济伙伴关系协定展开谈判。

外交部表示，该协议将深化经济一体化，促进贸易和投资流动，并为两国企业创造机会。

该消息由总理黄循财和阿联酋总统谢赫·穆罕默德·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬在黄循财对中东进行正式访问期间宣布，黄循财访问期间还访问了卡塔尔。

黄先生在阿布扎比会见了谢赫·穆罕默德，两位领导人重申了新加坡和阿联酋之间友好而长久的关系。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 双方还见证了能源合作、水资源合作和病媒控制三项谅解备忘录的交换，并欢迎两国成立新的联合能源工作组。该工作组将能够识别能源价值链各个环节的合作机会，涵盖贸易、基础设施和下游活动。双方还欢迎在阿联酋核能公司（ENEC）参与的核能领域持续开展合作。黄先生访问期间还会见了阿布扎比王储谢赫·哈立德·穆罕默德·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬。两国领导人对两国之间牢固的经济和商业联系表示欢迎，并探讨了在共同优先领域深化合作的机会。黄循财先生周三在脸书上发文称：“阿联酋是新加坡在中东地区最大的贸易伙伴。我们与阿联酋的经济联系紧密，在人工智能、数字化、能源、国防和航天等领域，我们看到了深化合作的巨大潜力。” 他还表示，为了进一步推进经济伙伴关系，双方已启动全面经济伙伴关系协定（CEPA）的磋商。

他们还见证了两国在能源合作、水资源合作和疾病媒介控制方面交换了三份谅解备忘录，并对两国成立新的联合能源工作组表示欢迎。

该工作组将能够识别能源价值链各个环节的机遇，涵盖贸易、基础设施和下游活动。双方还对在核能领域持续开展的合作表示欢迎，其中包括阿联酋核能公司（ENEC）的参与。

黄之锋先生访问期间还会见了阿布扎比王储谢赫·哈立德·穆罕默德·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬。两国领导人对两国间牢固的经济和商业联系表示欢迎，并探讨了在共同优先领域深化合作的机遇。

黄先生周三在脸书上发帖称：“阿联酋是新加坡在中东最大的贸易伙伴。我们的经济联系牢固，我们看到了在人工智能、数字化、能源、国防和航天等领域深化合作的良好潜力。”

他表示，为了进一步推进经济伙伴关系，双方正在就全面经济伙伴关系协定展开讨论。

在全球环境日益不确定的背景下，黄之锋先生和穆罕默德酋长强调了建立可信赖的伙伴关系以及加强经济和安全韧性的重要性。

黄先生重申了新加坡与阿联酋的团结，并对该国的韧性和长期经济前景表示信心。

“对于阿联酋和整个中东地区来说，这是一段艰难的时期。在这一充满挑战的时刻，新加坡将作为值得信赖的伙伴和朋友与阿联酋站在一起，”他在脸书上写道，并补充说，在3月份地区冲突爆发后不久与阿联酋领导人通了电话，很高兴能够与他见面。

黄先生表示，双方就区域发展局势以及恢复和平稳定的重要性交换了意见。他们还讨论了如何加强东盟与海湾合作委员会之间的联系。

新加坡和阿联酋在一份联合声明中表示，新加坡将于 2027 年担任东盟轮值主席国，两国希望届时推进东盟-海湾合作委员会自由贸易协定的谈判。

去年，新加坡和阿联酋庆祝了建交40周年，两国非石油双边贸易总额去年达到约65亿美元，比上一年增长了25%。

两国在一份联合声明中表示，双方同意努力进一步扩大贸易和投资关系，并对新加坡主权财富基金淡马锡宣布将在阿布扎比开设办事处以深化其在阿联酋的业务表示欢迎。

淡马锡上月宣布，计划于明年上半年在利雅得和阿布扎比开设办事处，但需获得相关审批。届时，淡马锡的全球办事处数量将达到15个，遍布11个国家。

在为期五天的地区访问即将结束之际，黄之锋先生将访问迪拜，会见阿联酋副总理兼财政部长、迪拜副酋长谢赫·马克图姆·穆罕默德·拉希德·阿勒马克图姆。

他还将出席为海外新加坡人举办的招待会。超过4000名新加坡人居住在阿联酋，是该地区最大的新加坡人社群。

联合声明称：“双方欢迎新加坡和阿联酋之间文化和民间联系的深化，这构成了双边关系的重要基础。”

黄先生将于周四返回新加坡。

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