I am pleased to announce that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife, Ho Ching, will visit Canberra this week from 11–13 October 2016.
The visit will highlight Australia’s strong partnership with Singapore, founded on complementary economies, multicultural societies and common interests in regional peace and prosperity.
Ties between our two countries date back to World War II and the defence of Singapore, in which over 1,700 Australians lost their lives. We were the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Singapore and celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic relations last year. Singapore is now Australia’s fifth largest trading partner and foreign investor.
During his visit, Prime Minister Lee will address Parliament, a historic first for a Singapore leader. The Prime Minister and I will also witness the signing of the first tranche of initiatives under our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership – a Partnership that will deliver practical benefits on trade, defence, innovation, education, law enforcement and cultural exchange.
Prime Minister Lee and Mrs Lee will be accompanied by a delegation of Singapore Members of Parliament including the Ministers for Trade, Defence and Foreign Affairs. I look forward to welcoming them to Australia.