Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz giving Malaysia a miss when they are all just a bridge away.
There is a big German business delegation together with the new German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz visiting Singapore right now and meeting with Singaporean business community from various sectors to expand and strengthen business relations.
Meanwhile, Malaysia which is just a hop skip away is not hosting the German Chancellor and his business delegation as we are busy getting ready for GE15.
It was reported in local news that the new German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz received a ceremonial welcome at the Singapore Istana yesterday afternoon and had a new orchid hybrid, the Renanthera Olaf Scholz, named in his honour.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Scholz called on President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Chancellor Scholz and Prime Minister Lee also held a Joint Press Conference before adjourning for an Official Dinner hosted by Prime Minister Lee. Earlier in the afternoon, Chancellor Scholz also met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong on the sidelines of the 17th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business.
President Halimah and Chancellor Scholz reaffirmed the longstanding and multifaceted relations between Singapore and Germany. They took note of the wide-ranging areas of bilateral cooperation, including in emerging areas such as the digital economy, innovation, and cybersecurity.
Following the meeting, Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Lee issued a Joint Declaration titled “Partners for a Resilient and Sustainable Future”, which outlines the trajectory of bilateral cooperation and relations going forward.
There were many areas covered in joint declaration, key areas that could have also been beneficial for Malaysia if it were to happen are,
- Enhance cooperation in infrastructure projects, in particular in renewable energy and low-carbon technology, taking into account the goals of the Paris Agreement.
- Support the expansion of German start-ups and SMEs in Singapore and the region, through the German Accelerator Programme and with the support of the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SGC), and the expansion of Singaporean start-ups in Germany and the European region, through the Scaler8 programme under the Global Innovation Alliance spearheaded by Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the Economic Development Board (EDB).
- Enhance innovation collaboration and financial services cooperation, including through an active presence of German companies and start-ups at the annual Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) and the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF).
- Encourage German flagship trade shows to use Singapore as a hub and gateway to the Asia-Pacific region.
Well, probably after GE15 the German Chancellor will make a trip to Malaysia.
