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Last Retreat of the outgoing two leaders.
What will they discuss?
Will they propose JVs to extract geothermal power?
Will they propose JVs to have solar and wind-powered farms on some uninhabited islands?
Will they propose a tunnel/bridge between Batam and Singapore and JVs in the Riau islands?
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PM Lee to meet Jokowi in Indonesia for their last Leaders’ Retreat
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the 42nd Asean Summit in Labuan Bajo on May 10, 2023. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Hariz Baharudin
Indonesia Correspondent
UPDATED APR 26, 2024, 05:33 PM in Straits Times.
JAKARTA – Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will visit Bogor in West Java on April 29 to attend the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat hosted by outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
This will be PM Lee’s seventh and final Leaders’ Retreat with Mr Widodo, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement on April 26.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong is set to take over from PM Lee on May 15, while Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, having won the country’s presidential election on Feb 14, will succeed Mr Widodo in October.
At the annual meeting, Mr Widodo and PM Lee are expected to take stock of the significant progress made on bilateral cooperation during their respective tenures, the PMO said.
This includes the three landmark pacts between the two countries that were inked in January 2022 and which officially came into force in March 2024, which deal with airspace management, defence cooperation and extradition.
At the retreat, PM Lee and Mr Widodo will also endorse additional agreements in areas such as defence, digital economy, sustainability and human capital development, said the PMO.
The statement noted that both countries have made advances in bilateral cooperation in a wide variety of other areas including healthcare, trade and investment, and financial cooperation.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied on his visit by DPM Wong; Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean; Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen; Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan; Education Minister Chan Chun Sing; Social and Family Development Minister, Second Minister for Health and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli; Health Minister Ong Ye Kung; and Manpower Minister and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng.
Singapore has been Indonesia’s top foreign investor since 2014.
In 2023, Singapore recorded US$15.4 billion (S$21 billion) of foreign direct investment into the archipelago, and bilateral trade reached US$69 billion that year.
Both countries are also among each other’s top sources of visitor arrivals. Singapore welcomed 2.3 million tourists from Indonesia in 2023, while Indonesia saw 1.4 million tourists from Singapore that year.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
In an unsettled world, important for S’pore to double down on ties with its neighbours: Vivian
Vivian meets Prabowo as part of four-day trip to Jakarta, congratulates him on election victory.
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Does big in size count and is it the deciding factor?
Do the size of a country and the population size matter?
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The Straits Times’ Editorial says
Sound agreements for the long term
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO on 29th Jan 2022 in ST.
With an eye on what is in both parties’ interests and can represent a good balance of benefits, Singapore and Indonesia have shown a determination to strengthen foundations for their relationship over the long term by dealing with longstanding issues that could have festered and affected bilateral relations if left unresolved.
Those relations took a welcome and fresh step forward when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo witnessed the signing of several crucial agreements during their fifth Leaders’ Retreat in Bintan this week. The agreements cover airspace management, an extradition treaty, and defence cooperation between the two countries.
The flight information region (FIR) agreement will see parts of Singapore’s FIR which currently cover Indonesia’s airspace above the Riau and Natuna islands realigned to come under Indonesia’s FIR. Singapore has been delegated to provide air navigation services for parts of it for 25 years, and this can be extended. Thus, Singapore would still have a role in sections of airspace that are critical to the safe and efficient running of its airports. Changi Airport’s status as an air hub remains safeguarded under this arrangement.
Also signed in Bintan was an updated extradition treaty that makes minor adjustments to the version signed in 2007. Its retrospective provisions would be extended from 15 to 18 years – meaning that a fugitive could be sought up to 18 years after he had committed an offence – in line with other Indonesian laws.
As for defence cooperation, the latest agreement would see the Singapore Armed Forces continue to conduct military training and exercises in training areas in Indonesia in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, with full respect for Indonesia’s sovereignty over its territory, including its archipelagic and territorial waters, and airspace.
The agreements now have to be ratified by both countries. Given President Widodo’s parliamentary majority, it is to be hoped that this might be done expeditiously. While there may have been misplaced opposition to the defence pact years ago, Indonesians at large are well aware by now that what benefits the security of Singapore also advances theirs too. Both countries are involved in an enterprise of cooperative security which requires a convergence of mindsets born of trust and comfort in each other’s strategic intentions. Collaboration and strong ties between officers from both militaries also help to foster trust all round.
Taken together, the Bintan agreements signify a good balance of mutual benefits that are durable enough to last for at least a generation. Indonesians and Singaporeans owe it to themselves to remain close partners in a common enterprise that advances their mutual good.
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Meeting on 25th Jan 2022, but what could be on the table for both sides to see the win-win solutions..
a] Covid-19 vaccines, and economic recovery supporting one another;
b] chain of supplies…have JV farms in Indonesia?
c] supply water, granite and sand to Singapore?
d] JV to lease and have solar and wind farms on uninhabited islands to supply green and clean electricity to Singapore.
f] Asean…in the midst of Biden vs Xi, China vs US [and the Quad?].
h] IT and digital economy…supporting each other’s transformation.
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Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat to be held in Bintan on Jan 25, 2022.
Published January 20, 2022 in Today newspaper
Updated January 20, 2022
SINGAPORE — The next Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat will be held on Jan 25, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Thursday (Jan 20).
“In response to media queries, the Press Secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed that Mr Lee will be visiting Bintan, Indonesia, on Jan 25 for the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat, hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo,” said the PMO.
“The leaders will take stock of progress made on bilateral cooperation and explore ways to further deepen engagement in key areas of mutual interest.”
President Joko Widodo last met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on October 8, 2019 for the annual retreat traditionally held to foster bilateral relations. They have not had a retreat since due to Covid-19.
When interviewed by CNA in November last year, Mr Widodo said that he will discuss with Mr Lee how and when the two countries can reopen borders.
“We will discuss a travel corridor arrangement which we hope can be opened, but not everywhere in Indonesia,” he said.
“Maybe, (between) Bintan and Singapore, or Bali and Singapore, Jakarta and Singapore, for example. But again, all these have to be gradual,” said Mr Widodo at that time.
At a press conference earlier on Thursday, Mr Mirza Nurhidayat, the director in charge of Southeast Asia affairs at Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “This Leaders’ Retreat meeting is a modality of cooperation between the two countries… things related to increasing bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore will be discussed.” CNA
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Meet but what could be on the table for both sides to see the win-win solutions..
a] Covid-19 vaccines, and economic recovery supporting one another;
b] chain of supplies…have JV farms in Indonesia?
c] supply water, granite and sand to Singapore?
d] JV to lease and have solar and wind farms on uninhabited islands to supply green and clean electricity to Singapore.
f] Asean…in the midst of Biden vs Xi, China vs US [and the Quad?].
h] IT and digital economy…supporting each other’s transformation.
.
PM Lee and Jokowi to meet in person for Leaders’ Retreat, possibly in Bintan
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.PHOTOS: MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION, REUTERS
Arlina Arshad
Regional Correspondent
PUBLISHED7 HOURS AGO on 26th March 2021 in Straits Times.
SINGAPORE – Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be meeting in person for the Leaders’ Retreat this year, and possibly, on the holiday island of Bintan.
At a joint press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (March 25), Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi discussed forging ways to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic together and preparations for the annual Leaders’ Retreat later this year.
“This annual meeting signifies the strategic importance of Indonesia-Singapore bilateral relations and provides a platform for both countries to chart the way forward in key areas of cooperation,” said Ms Retno.
The ministers also spoke about “cautious preparations” for reviving the travel and tourism sectors which have been badly wrecked by the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr Balakrishnan said he met Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno in Jakarta on Thursday and discussed “gradual and safe” reopening of travel arrangements as the Covid-19 situation improves.
“We are looking at areas of mutual interest and I think in our earlier discussion, we had looked particularly at Bintan and perhaps that has been a site for which we could convene our Leaders’ Retreat,” he said.
“The Leaders’ Retreat will proceed this year, watch out for the date, but our two leaders will meet in person, and they have got a full agenda ahead of them.”
Mr Lee last met Mr Widodo in Singapore on Oct 8, 2019, for the Leaders’ Retreat.
They have not had a retreat since due to the pandemic.
Ms Retno said she was “very glad” to have the Travel Corridor Arrangement, or TCA, in place to facilitate official and essential business travellers, and hopes it will continue to operate.
She stressed that the health and the safety of travellers were paramount, and as such, any pilot projects on border reopening for the purpose of tourism must be carried out “in a safe, gradual and cautious manner”.
Ms Retno added that the two countries could work together in the areas of investments and digital economy. She said the Nongsa Digital Park in Batam has been granted the status of Special Economic Zone on March 2, and hopes to see the two countries work more closely in this area.
“Indonesia has a promising digital ecosystem. On the other hand, Singapore has the know-how and network to develop this sector. We have to bridge these potentials,” she said.
To this, Dr Balakrishnan said the Nongsa park was a “digital bridge from Singapore to Batam”, and he saw “great prospects for that bridge to become a vibrant connector, electronic and human connector, that will harvest opportunities for young people” in the two countries.
Singapore has been Indonesia’s top foreign investor since 2014, with investments totalling US$9.8 billion (S$13.2 billion) last year.
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Dr Balakrishnan also touched on bilateral projects including the Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java, which he said has been progressing well. He said there is now a need to promote the development of a port to support the industrial park’s development.
He cited how a treaty between Singapore and Indonesia had been ratified on March 9, laying down the rules on how investors and investments from both countries would be treated.
“It reflects our vote of confidence in Indonesia, in the prospects for economic growth and confidence in Indonesia’s future and this happens even in the time of crisis,” he said.
The past year, he said, had been a very challenging period for both Indonesia and Singapore due to the pandemic, but the two neighbours had been “good, steady and reliable partners throughout both good times and tough times”.
Dr Balakrishnan’s meeting with Ms Retno on Thursday kicked off a two-day working visit to reaffirm the strong relations between the two countries.
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Please check http://www.littlespeck.com/letters/2005.html#breakers
Inviting comments on my letter to the media:
A bridge to Bintan
Between the crooked or straight bridge, what do we prefer? I would choose none. I would prefer we spend the money and add a bit more to build a bridge to connect Singapore with Bintan and Rhio.
It will generate economic activities over the next 1 or 2 decades of development to its final completion and maturity.
As for security, no bridge is one too near or too far. We have the technology to build and to secure.
Let us make a win-win proposition to the Indonesians that they cannot refuse. We should start now when the conditions are good. Nothing is better than nearer home. A far away fire needs a far away hose.
Let us convert this area into a “Pearl Basin” nearer us that even the Chinese have to watch with concern. Let us give them a run for their money.
Build a bridge wisely and ensure money is well spent for good returns over the next 100 years.
Yours sincerely,
Tan Kok Tim
Mar 19, 2005
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My letter in ST Forum on 15 March 2012: “Build a bridge to Batam”.
The link:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByiryFsICKj-UTk3SmpMblFRZFdlOURuYjRnNGRGZw/edit
tankoktim 