60 years of relations between Singapore, France have benefited both peoples: President Tharman

SINGAPORE – The past 60 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and France have delivered tangible benefits to both peoples through economic cooperation, innovation and the “cultural brew” they create together, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

He was speaking at a state banquet in honour of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife held at the Raffles Hotel on May 30, hours after the launch of a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between the two countries, where they

agreed to deepen collaboration in areas such as defence, security, artificial intelligence and nuclear power.

Mr Tharman said: “We are expanding our ties and making something substantive, something unique and certainly mutually beneficial, something to be treasured in an increasingly troubled world.”

Speaking to attendees who included members of both countries’ Cabinets, Mr Tharman said: “Your presence in Singapore and your upcoming address at the Shangri-La Dialogue underscores the growing engagement between our regions.

“We share the same fundamental belief in the importance of an open, stable and rules-based global system.”

Mr Macron, in a speech following Mr Tharman’s, emphasised the long and beneficial relationship between the two countries. “After 60 years, we can say that we understand each other... 60 years of discussions, visits, common events.

“In a few decades, your city-state has seen exceptional growth, and today it’s a major hub of exchange and progress at the heart of South-east Asia, and I have to say that Singapore is clearly a source of inspiration and admiration.”

A long and fruitful history

Mr Macron’s state visit to Singapore marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, but the relationship goes back much further, Mr Tharman said.

He raised the examples of French missionary and educator, Father Jean-Marie Beurel, who helped found several schools including St Joseph’s Institution, and French naturalists Alfred Duvaucel and Pierre-Medard Diard, who arrived in the 1800s and whose collection of specimens, notes and drawings captured the evolution of Singapore’s natural history.

He said: “Our more recent history has seen layer being added on layer of French-Singapore ties.”

France was in 2012 the first European nation with whom Singapore established a strategic partnership, Mr Tharman noted.

French firms now make up the largest number of European companies registered in Singapore, he added. There are more than 2,600 of these.

He said: “Companies like CMA CGM, TotalEnergies, and Alstom are leveraging on Singapore’s ecosystem to grow their footprint in the Asia-Pacific.

“Singapore’s investment firms GIC and Temasek are significant investors in France, and leading enterprises such as CapitaLand and ComfortDelGro are stepping up their presence.”

French expertise is also helping to shape Singapore’s urban infrastructure, he said.

RATP Dev is working together with Singapore to operationalise the upcoming Jurong Region MRT Line – the first foreign operator to be involved in the Republic’s rail industry, Mr Tharman noted.

Mr Macron also emphasised the long relationship between the two countries.

He said in response to Mr Tharman: “You referred yourself to Pierre-Medard and Alfred Duvaucel, who drew up a list of the island’s fauna and flora at the end of the 19th century, but since this moment, even before your independence, our relationship is based on this exchange between our institutions.”

Today, 200 French researchers live in Singapore, and its National Centre for Scientific Research has four research labs here, he noted.

Mr Macron said: “In those 60 years (of diplomatic relations), France and Singapore have never stopped advancing together, in particular in the field of science, where we have worked on building a fruitful partnership for many years.”

Referencing the role founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew had in the genesis of this bilateral relationship, Mr Macron said: “Ten years after his death, France has not forgotten what it owes to Lee Kuan Yew on many topics, the tireless instigator of our bilateral cooperation project, and today we acknowledge the fruit of his labour, as seen in the exchange of students, researchers and entrepreneurs between our two countries, nourishing our friendship.”

More to come

Looking forward, Mr Tharman said the new CSP reflects both countries’ commitments to “expand and deepen collaboration with a sharper focus on areas that matter for the future”.

These include emerging and frontier technologies in sustainability, defence and security, he said.

Mr Tharman said: “President Macron and Prime Minister (Lawrence) Wong also witnessed the conclusion of wide-ranging bilateral agreements, each opening new possibilities, and they witnessed the renewal of a road map for deeper collaboration in artificial intelligence, online safety and quantum technology.”

In response, Mr Macron said: “We have such a range of cooperation which is totally unique. Our defence cooperation, shared support of multilateralism and joint investment in breakthrough technologies are all paving the way for future generations.”

He added that the agreements are not just a statement of intentions but a tangible road map to “invent together” in those fields.

He said: “It is a promise we are making to the generations that follow so that we can tackle together the next 60 years with the brave spirits of the pioneers and your founding fathers.”