SINGAPORE - Amid an uncertain geopolitical outlook, there remains scope for Singapore and Portugal to boost cooperation in logistics and renewable energy, said Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho.
People-to-people ties should also be strengthened between the two maritime nations – from businessmen and scientists to student exchanges between universities, he said on Friday during a one-day visit to Singapore.
Mr Cravinho gave his view on how relations between Singapore and Portugal could grow in an interview at the Embassy of Portugal at Winsland House I in the Orchard Road area.
The countries marked 40 years of diplomatic relations in 2021.
In terms of business ties, Mr Cravinho said there are two investments – one Singapore investment in Portugal and one Portuguese investment in Singapore – that are “flag-bearers” with symbolic value.
One of them is PSA International’s investment in the port of Sines, located 150km south of capital Lisbon. The PSA terminal, which has been in operation since 2004, is scheduled to complete its latest expansion plan by 2028.
Sines, the closest port in Europe to the Americas, will become increasingly important as Europe seeks to increase its energy sovereignty and security, said Mr Cravinho. He added that both countries are looking at the possibility of a green corridor focused on the transport of energy.
The other marquee investment is EDP Renewables’ acquisition of 91 per cent of Singapore solar energy firm Sunseap in 2022 for $1.1 billion. The Portuguese firm is the world’s fourth-largest renewable energy producer.
Portugal has an advantage of being an early mover in this area – 62 per cent of its electricity already comes from renewable sources, noted Mr Cravinho, a former academic, defence minister and European Union ambassador to India and Brazil.
“The green transition is a major challenge for everybody, including Singapore, so that’s another area where we’re looking to take what exists and scaling up from that starting point.”
On people-to-people ties, Mr Cravinho said he hopes for more businessmen to visit each other’s countries.
“When business leaders go to Portugal, they are very often surprised at the opportunities that exist, so we’re keen to do that,” he said, adding that student and research exchanges are also being explored.
These are bright spots in the bilateral relationship, said Mr Cravinho, despite an erosion of multilateralism over the past decade and rising tensions in different parts of the world, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine a blatant violation of basic principles of international law and order.
“We have with Singapore a level of convergence in terms of our outlook on the geopolitical situation. That is the basis for trust and joint work even though we are in different parts of the globe.”
Both countries are strongly committed to multilateralism, and as maritime nations, have a particular attachment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the resolution of disputes through peaceful means, he said.
“The importance of like-minded countries such as Portugal and Singapore coming together to bolster multilateralism, the UN system and the proper functioning of international law, is absolutely necessary at this time.”
Mr Cravinho met Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday, and also gave a seminar at the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute.
Of their meeting, Dr Balakrishnan said on Facebook that both countries, as maritime nations and supporters of a rules-based international order, will continue to explore collaboration in areas of mutual interest, such as supply chain resilience, climate change and green energy.
