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France Strengthens Ties with Singapore to Beat Protectionism

France Strengthens Ties with Singapore to Beat Protectionism
© AP Photo/Wong Maye-E

French President Francois Hollande, on an official visit to Singapore, expressed a desire Sunday to strengthen France's partnership with the Southeast Asian countries.

"France considers Singapore not only for an economic partner, but also as a friendly country," Hollande said at a state banquet, where he gave a toast in French.

"In this geopolitical environment of isolation, nationalism and protectionism, we have to lead by example and make our bilateral partnership not only strong and dynamic, but to show the way for opening confidence in international trade," added Hollande, making the first official visit by a French president to Singapore.

The two countries signed a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership in 2012 to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, defense and space technology.

Singapore's president, Tony Tan, said that France was a "special friend," noting that it was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Singapore after its independence in 1965.

French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech during a state banquet hosted by Singapore President Tony Tan in the Istana or residential palace in Singapore. Image: ABC
French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech during a state banquet hosted by Singapore President Tony Tan in the Istana or residential palace in Singapore. Image: ABC

 

"At a time when the global political and economic environment is uncertain, many governments are facing pressures to turn inwards," Tan said. "Against this backdrop, being able to work with reliable friends is more important than ever. France is such a friend of Singapore." Some 15,000 French nationals and 1,800 French enterprises are based in the city-state.

Trade between the two countries is strong as well. Last year, their bilateral trade was valued at 16 billion Singapore dollars ($11.4 billion). France was Singapore's second-biggest trading partner in the European Union.

In 2015, French foreign direct investment in Singapore was about 14.8 billion Singapore dollars ($10.6 billion).

Hollande is set to meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and deliver a lecture on Monday. He leaves for Malaysia on Tuesday.


Source : ABC News

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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