On November 7, Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of Thailand, and Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, officiated as witnesses at the exchange ceremony of two Memorandums of Cooperation (MOCs) between Thailand and Singapore.
The agreements aim to enhance economic and public health cooperation, as well as to elevate bilateral relations on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The first MOC concerns rice trade cooperation between Thailand’s Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce, and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). The primary purpose is to strengthen regional food security, with Thailand agreeing to sell up to 100,000 tons of rice per year to the Singaporean government, thereby assuring food security for Singaporean consumers and providing greater market access for Thai rice exporters. This agreement is regarded as an upgrade in trade and food cooperation at the regional level.
The second MOU relates to the development of healthcare leadership in urban ageing care between the Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medical Services and Singapore Health Services. It aims to promote academic knowledge exchange, foster innovation, and provide medical personnel training to enhance the efficiency of elderly care. The agreement will also develop the potential of Thai personnel to serve as coaches, sustainably transferring knowledge to healthcare service staff.
After the ceremony, Anutin and Wong jointly affirmed their commitment to comprehensive cooperation, agreeing on four key areas:
1) Green Economy and Sustainable Energy: Both sides signed a carbon credit trading agreement, marking Singapore’s first such accord with an ASEAN country. They jointly support the “Lao PDR–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore Power Integration Project Phase 2” and discussed future renewable energy initiatives.
2) Connected and Digital Economy: Thailand praised Singapore for being Thailand’s top investor for the second consecutive year and welcomed further investment in advanced technology industries such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, biotechnology, and data centers. Both sides also promoted cooperation under the Digital Economy Agreement (DEA) and the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement to enhance innovation capabilities.
3) Security and Defense: Both countries agreed to expand cooperation in security and defense industries, including measures to combat transnational crime, especially cybercrime. Thailand will soon host an international conference on combating cybercrime.
4) Regional and Multilateral Cooperation: Thailand and Singapore reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening and increasing the resilience of ASEAN, advancing economic integration, and boosting regional connectivity—by land, air, sea, digital, and energy. Thailand pledged readiness to leverage its potential as a logistics hub connecting Southeast Asia and other regions.
On this occasion, PM Anutin also discussed the Thai–Cambodian border situation with PM Wong, reiterating Thailand’s commitment to fulfilling the joint declaration signed in Kuala Lumpur on October 26. He expressed gratitude to Singapore for supporting Thailand and Cambodia in peacefully resolving their issues through ASEAN’s bilateral mechanisms.
