Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s official visit marks a new chapter in bilateral cooperation as both nations celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties.
Singapore’s Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong, concluded his official visit to New Zealand from 9 to 11 October 2025, marking his first visit to the country as Prime Minister. The visit underscored the long-standing friendship and growing cooperation between the two nations as they commemorated 60 years of diplomatic relations.
On 9 October 2025, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon hosted Prime Minister Wong to a dinner, where they exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the need to work together and uphold the rules-based international order. The following day, Prime Minister Wong had a delegation meeting with Prime Minister Luxon. The Prime Ministers reaffirmed the excellent bilateral relations and commemorated 60 years of strong diplomatic relations between Singapore and New Zealand. They welcomed the good progress in bilateral cooperation since the launch of the Enhanced Partnership in 2019.
Following the meeting, the two Prime Ministers held a Joint Press Conference to announce the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). The CSP sets the vision and direction for the next phase of our bilateral relations over the next decade, setting out a total of 72 initiatives spanning across six pillars of cooperation in: (a) Trade and Economics; (b) Defence, Security and Safety; (c) Science, Technology, and Innovation; (d) People-to-People; (e) Climate Change and Green Economy; and (f) Supply Chains and Connectivity. More broadly, the CSP lays out opportunities for joint collaboration in Southeast Asia and cooperation to strengthen the multilateral trading system.
Amidst the complexities of today’s international landscape, the CSP serves as the foundation for the continued cooperation of the two countries toward stability and prosperity, including through deeper dialogue on the challenges facing small states and a shared commitment to advance the interests of our peoples, our region, and the international community.
As part of his programme, Prime Minister Wong visited Rocket Lab on 10 October 2025, New Zealand’s leading space technology company, symbolising innovation and future-oriented cooperation between both countries. He also met with former Prime Minister John Key and attended a reception with Overseas Singaporeans based in New Zealand, expressing appreciation for their contributions to strengthening the Singaporean community abroad.
Source: MFA
