3 Singapore ministers to meet Aussie counterparts in Sydney

Three Singapore Cabinet ministers will be in Australia tomorrow to take part in a high-level dialogue with their Australian counterparts.

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing will participate in the 11th meeting of the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee in Sydney tomorrow.

Australia will be represented by Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham.

The meeting will be co-chaired by Dr Balakrishnan and Ms Payne, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Started in 1996 by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and his counterpart Paul Keating, the high-level dialogue involves the foreign, defence and trade ministers of the two countries.

It is a platform for both sides to discuss bilateral cooperation, including the implementation of the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and exchange views on regional and international developments.

The meeting keeps up the momentum of high-level exchanges between Singapore and Australia, after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's official visit to Australia in March last year and PM Scott Morrison's visit to Singapore for the Asean summit in November.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 28, 2019, with the headline 3 Singapore ministers to meet Aussie counterparts in Sydney. Subscribe