Brunei Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah has arrived in Singapore for a five-day official visit focused on strengthening ties between the two countries and advancing cooperation in areas ranging from digital technology to defence and food security.
The Crown Prince, who is also Senior Minister at Brunei’s Prime Minister’s Office, is visiting Singapore until Oct. 2 at the invitation of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. He will co-chair the 12th Singapore-Brunei Young Leaders’ Programme with Wong.
Launched in 2013, the annual Young Leaders’ Programme provides a platform for emerging leaders from Singapore and Brunei to build relationships and discuss areas of mutual interest. The programme alternates between the two countries and has become a regular feature of their bilateral engagement.
This year’s programme is expected to cover several areas with growing importance for both countries, including the digital economy, green economy, finance, defence and food security.
The Crown Prince is scheduled to meet Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other Singapore leaders during his visit.
His itinerary also includes visits to several major Singapore institutions and developments. These include Tuas Port, SAFTI City, Temasek Shophouse, the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Biodiversity Medicine, Sultan Mosque, the Malay Heritage Centre, the Singapore Oceanarium, Punggol Digital District and the Singapore Institute of Technology.
The wide-ranging programme reflects the practical areas in which Singapore and Brunei are seeking to deepen cooperation. Digitalisation and green economic development have become increasingly important areas of bilateral engagement, while defence cooperation remains a longstanding part of the relationship.
Singapore and Brunei have maintained close defence links for decades, including regular training and professional exchanges between the Singapore Armed Forces and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Their currencies have also been interchangeable at the same value since 1967, reflecting another longstanding aspect of their close ties.
The Young Leaders’ Programme has also played a role in maintaining personal connections between officials and emerging leaders from both countries. Previous editions have included discussions on bilateral relations as well as regional and global developments.
The latest visit comes as both countries continue to explore new areas of cooperation while maintaining established links in defence, finance and other sectors.
For Brunei’s Crown Prince and Singapore’s leadership, the 12th Young Leaders’ Programme provides another opportunity to reinforce the relationship and identify areas where cooperation can expand.
The bigger focus now will be on what new initiatives and areas of cooperation emerge from the five-day visit as Singapore and Brunei look to deepen their longstanding partnership.
