State Visit by President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron to Singapore, 29 to 30 May 2025

President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron is in Singapore for a State Visit. President Macron received a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House this morning. He also met President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong.

During President Macron’s call on President Tharman, both leaders reaffirmed the excellent bilateral relations underpinned by trust, regular high-level exchanges, robust economic links and multifaceted cooperation. They also discussed several global and regional issues, including ways to catalyse finance and build momentum in the transition to sustainable economies, and international governance to ensure both innovation and safety in artificial intelligence (AI). President Macron was also hosted to a State Banquet by President Tharman this afternoon.

During the meeting between President Macron and Prime Minister Wong, the two leaders reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations, and discussed ways to further strengthen and expand cooperation, including in new and emerging frontier areas such as the green economy, digital, AI and civil nuclear energy. Prime Minister Wong welcomed France’s continued engagement of the region. They discussed ways to increase cooperation between France and ASEAN, as well as the EU's cooperation with ASEAN and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Following the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of 13 Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) related to cooperation in defence and security, civil nuclear energy, legal, AI, transport and education. The two leaders announced the upgrade of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). The Joint Declaration of the CSP and the full list of Agreements and MOUs are at Annex.

A new orchid hybrid, Dendrobium Emmanuel et Brigitte Macron, was named in honour of President Macron and Mrs Brigitte Macron.

President Macron will deliver the keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue later this evening.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

30 MAY 2025

Annex

Joint Declaration on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Singapore and the French Republic

1. On the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and on the occasion of the State Visit of the President of the French Republic to Singapore from 29 to 30 May 2025, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore Mr Lawrence Wong and the President of the French Republic Mr Emmanuel Macron have decided to elevate relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is Singapore’s first Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with a European country, and it is a testament to the trust and outstanding quality of the relationship between France and Singapore. The upgrade of our relations signals our strong commitment to further deepen existing areas of cooperation and identify opportunities in new and emerging areas.

ENHANCING AND DEEPENING OUR POLITICAL COOPERATION IN AN INCREASINGLY CHALLENGING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

2. Singapore and France enjoy a longstanding, close, deep, and multifaceted partnership. Bilateral cooperation has progressed well and significantly since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1965. We upgraded our relations from an Enhanced Partnership to a Strategic Partnership on 18 October 2012, Singapore’s first with a European country. This has further enhanced bilateral collaboration in trade and investments, defence and security, science and innovation, transport, education and research. We expanded cooperation to emerging areas such as the digital and green economies, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum and sustainability. Our trade and investment links have grown further following the entry into force of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement in November 2019. Our companies have strengthened commercial ties and seized opportunities in the Singaporean and French markets.

3. Singapore and France share a firm commitment and will work together to uphold multilateralism, the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, including the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, respect for international law and the rules-based international order, combating climate change, and championing biodiversity and the oceans. We support an open and inclusive trade architecture and emphasise the importance of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in strengthening the rules-based multilateral trading system and in countering protectionism. We recognise the importance of having resilient linkages and supply chains.

4. Singapore and France reiterateourstrong condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Werecall the need to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with international law, the Charter of the United Nations and its principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States.

5. Singapore and France affirm our support for and our intention to work closely on international endeavours that would bring about lasting peace and security in the Middle East. This includes the forthcoming High-Level Conference on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, which seeks to create a dynamic that would pave the way for Israel and Palestine to live side-by-side in peace and security. Both sides express our deep concern over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, now at risk of starvation, and the recent extension of Israeli military operations there, which have resulted in unbearable suffering for the civilian population. We call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and immediate, massive and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to Gaza. Singapore and France reiterate our support for the implementation of the two-state solution, consistent with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, with Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace and security. This is the only viable option to achieve a durable, just and comprehensive solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We also urge all parties to refrain from undertaking any unilateral action that attempts to change the status quo, as this will hinder the peace process. The conflict cannot be resolved by the permanent forced displacement of Palestinian civilians, either in Gaza or the West Bank.

6. Both Singapore and France share a strong interest in the stability, growth, and development of Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific. We recognise and support ASEAN’s role in fostering regional stability and prosperity, and welcome France’s continued strong engagement of ASEAN as a Development Partner. We also encourage enhanced cooperation between the European Union and ASEAN, in all fields. We share the view that the stability of major power relations is essential for the region’s continued growth and recognise that their continued constructive engagement and stake in the region has and will continue to underpin peace and prosperity. France and Singapore reiterateoursupport for ASEAN’s role in Myanmar, with the Five-Point Consensus as the main reference to address the crisis, working in collaboration with the international community, in particular the United Nations, for an inclusive national dialogue with all stakeholders toward a comprehensive, durable and peaceful solution to the crisis.

7. Singapore and France affirm the importance of ASEAN Centrality and the relevance of ASEAN’s multilateral mechanisms, such as theASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus(ADMM-Plus). In order to address the growing cross-cutting threats, France and Singapore commit to cooperating and sharingourexpertise in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) within the Expert Working Group co-chaired by Singapore and New Zealand.

LEVERAGING AND DEEPENING OUR ECONOMIC COOPERATION

8. Singapore and France are committed to strengthening two-way trade and investment links. These efforts will complement the strong links thatourcountries have through the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force on 21 November 2019, and theEU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement, which was signed on 7 May 2025.

9. In the wake of the signing of the France-Singapore Digital and Green Partnership (DGP) in 2022, the two countries are committed to establishing the Digital Trade Corridor and implementing paperless trade pilots, and enhancing the digital skills of public and private sector stakeholders. Both sides will also support innovation activities, firstly by pursuing cooperation on intellectual property (IP), through promoting commercialisation of IP assets, providing business support, and exchanging insights on AI-driven IP operations and secondly by deepening innovation collaboration and exchanges through the Global Innovation Alliance and co-innovation project call by Enterprise Singapore and Bpifrance.

10. Enhancing connectivity between France and Singapore and strengthening decarbonisation in the transport sector is key. To this end, Singapore and France will promote and developourmaritime and civil aviation cooperation through a new France-Singapore Maritime Partnership Agreement and an Enhanced Framework Agreement in the field of civil aviation.

11. Singapore and France will remain committed to enhancingourinvestment links. Singapore welcomes France’s efforts to ratify the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement (EUSIPA), as well as France’s support to the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement. These agreements between Singapore and the EU will complement our bilateral economic engagement. We expect our companies to benefit from these linkages, as Temasek’s office opening in Paris exemplifies.

12. We support collaborative initiatives to develop effective and efficient strategies for food security and food safety. France will continue its commitment to ensuring a flow of healthy, safe and sustainable food to Singapore.

STRENGTHENING OUR COOPERATION ON SUSTAINABILTY AND ENERGY

13. Singapore and France will enhanceourwork together to accelerate the shift to a green and decarbonised economy. Building on the 2024-2025 Singapore-France Joint Year of Sustainability, our two countries are deepening exchanges on the circular economy, urban transport, water and waste management, green finance and the energy transition.

14. Our countries will build on ongoing cooperation in civil nuclear energy capacity building, including through our Bilateral Working Group to promote knowledge sharing in full compliance with non-proliferation and safeguards regimes. The Intergovernmental Agreement signed on the occasion of the State Visit of the President of the French Republic to Singapore will establish a framework to enable deeper civil nuclear cooperation in the fields of safety and security, and research and development of nuclear energy and its applications, including in earth sciences and medicine. In addition, the radiation and nuclear safety regulatory authorities of both countries – the National Environment Agency of Singapore (NEA) and the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection of France (ASNR) – are committed to deepening cooperation and information exchange through the recently concluded Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

15. At the regional level, Singapore and France will work together to contribute to the decarbonisation and energy security of ASEAN and strengthen regional interconnectivity to support the realisation of the ASEAN Power Grid. Our countries will seek to deepen regulatory, technological, and commercial cooperation programmes under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation.

BRINGING OUR COOPERATION ON EMERGING AND FRONTIER TECHNOLOGIES TO NEW HEIGHTS

16. Singapore and France recognise the benefits of emerging and frontier technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies and nuclear fusion. To harness the opportunities in these sectors, we will advance cooperation in areas like AI, industry, and quantum through the Roadmap for Deepening Cooperation in AI, which was adopted in 2020, as well as the Roadmap for Deepening Cooperation in the Digital Domain which will be signed in 2025. Singapore and France will also collaborate on AI governance, safety and security. This will include cooperation between our Safety AI Institutes through a Joint Statement on Collaboration on the Safety of Artificial Intelligence, with the objective of driving AI safety research, advancing the understanding of evaluations of advanced AI, and supporting best practices and protocols in safe and trustworthy AI. Such collaboration can include joint efforts on AI testing and standards. Both countries will also continue promoting our common views of an inclusive and multi-stakeholder approach on AI to the global stage.

17. Singapore and France are also deepening research cooperation through the Joint Committee on Science and Innovation, which was established in 2019, and last held in Paris in April this year, to profile, promote and catalyse bilateral cooperation and exchanges on research and innovation in relevant fields, including health, AI, quantum technologies, nuclear and space. In the field of space, Singapore and France are deepeningourbilateral cooperation under the Memorandum of Understanding adopted by the office for Space Technology & Industry of Singapore and the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) of France, which was signed in 2017 and renewed in 2022.

EXPANDING OUR EXCEPTIONAL DEFENCE AND SECURITY COOPERATION

18. Our countries share a longstanding and robust defence and security relationship, supported by the 1998 Defence Cooperation and Status of Forces Agreement. Since 1998, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has conducted Advanced Jet Training in Cazaux. This has become the centrepiece of our longstanding military cooperation, and we continue to find opportunities to deepen the cooperation between our air forces. Our countries will continue to enhance our partnership to address new challenges and uphold regional security and stability.

19. We reaffirm our mutual support for stopovers and visits by French and Singaporean military assets, and will enhance bilateral military exchanges and training during these mutual visits to continue reinforcing our defence and security relationship. We will also strengthen our professional military-to-military exchanges across all domains and services. 

20. Both Singapore and France will continue to hold working-level exchanges on strategy, regional insights, overview of bilateral defence cooperation, governance of emerging technologies related to space, AI, cybersecurity, strategies to counter hybrid threats, as well as on emerging security challenges.

21. With the objective to deepen and expand our broad-based defence relationship, we signed a Declaration of Intent on Enhanced Defence Cooperation and deepened our collaboration in defence technology by signing a Letter of Intent on Defence AI Cooperation and an amendment of the Administrative Arrangement on Defence Technology Cooperation, which will further enhance Singapore’s Ministry of Defence’s cooperation with the French Ministry for the Armed Forces. We will also strengthen supply chain resilience by implementing the Terms of Reference between the French Directorate General of Armaments and Singapore Ministry of Defence Concerning Supply Chain Collaboration signed in September 2024.

22. We will strengthen institutional exchanges through the establishment of a senior officials’ dialogue between Singapore’s National Security Coordination Secretariat and France’s General Secretariat for Defence and National Security to deepen existing discussions and identify areas of future engagements. We will also reinforce our security cooperation by signing the General Security Agreement to facilitate the mutual protection of classified information and protected information exchanged or generated in areas other than defence.

23. We reaffirm our multifaceted security cooperation through the renewal of the Strategic Cooperation Plan for Homeland Security Cooperation for a fourth term and the establishment of a High-Level Platform between the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs and French Ministry of the Interior. We will step up cooperation on issues like border security, security management of major events, civil defence and civil protection, and countering the rise of scams, including through the sharing of information and best practices.

24. We will strengthen resilience against cyber threats through Cyber Exercises, information exchanges, and cooperation on certification and standards development for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and cloud services. We will continue to contribute to the multilateral governance of cybersecurity through the current open-ended working group chaired by Singapore and the establishment of the future UN permanent mechanism to discuss cybersecurity.

STRENGTHENING OUR PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES AND OUR EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL COOPERATION

25. Singapore and France enjoy close people-to-people ties, which are founded on regular exchanges in education and cultural exchanges. To sustain the trust and understanding betweenourpeoples, Singapore and France will strengthen collaborations betweenourInstitutes of Higher Learning under the France-Singapore Roadmap on Deepening Cooperation in Education signed in December 2020. This includes exploring more institutional partnerships and people-to-people collaborations, in areas of common interest such as expertise exchange and staff training, co-creation of curricula, student internships, student mobility and exchanges.

26. On technical and vocational education and training (TVET), we will expand our cooperation to facilitate the exchanges of expertise in this field through a Declaration of Intent and through the implementation of a “Franco-Singaporean Vocational Campus” programme in Singapore.

27. We will continue cultural exchanges under the renewed Cultural Cooperation Framework Agreement signed in November 2019 and promote bilateral exchanges and collaboration in culture and the arts,including in cultural and creative industries. 

BROADENING OUR COOPERATION ON GLOBAL ISSUES

28. Singapore and France will work together in international fora to address pressing challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. We reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling our obligations under the Paris Agreement, including to pursue efforts to limit the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as well as our commitment to effectively implementing the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework.

29. In line with this objective, we will promote efforts to preserve the ocean, including through the Third UN Ocean Conference in Nice in June 2025 (UNOC). Singapore and France welcomeourrespective ratifications of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and call on all countries to do likewise, with the aim of having the Agreement enter into force at the UNOC. We support ambitious global action on plastic pollution, including by concluding negotiations at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

30. In line with the above objectives, Singapore and France also support the energy transition and coal phase-out globally through coalitions like the Coal Transition Accelerator, the Powering Past Coal Alliance and the International Solar Alliance. We also support the most vulnerable countries in addressing the triple planetary crisis, in line with the Pact for the Prosperity of People and the Planet (4P). We participate in groupings like the Space for Climate Observatory, Paris Call for Glaciers and Poles and Network for Greening the Financial System to advance efforts to transition to a more sustainable society and economy. We are committed to sharing best practices and supporting capacity building initiatives for developing countries in the framework of partnerships for development. We cooperate on efforts to support high integrity carbon markets to accelerate global climate action, with the appropriate incentives and robust safeguards ensuring they complement global mitigation efforts.

31. France and Singapore agree to strengthenourlinks and promote further dialogue on global health issues of common interests, such as the fight against diseases and pandemics, support for medical research, and the promotion of the One Health approach.

ENHANCING OUR LEGAL AND JUDICIAL COOPERATION

32. Singapore and France have made strides in advancing legal and judicial cooperation. Under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, we will facilitate mutual legal assistance in criminal matters through our Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, which entered into force in April 2023 and strengthen bilateral legal cooperation through the signing of a bilateral Extradition Treaty in 2025.

33. We will also deepen judicial cooperation under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding for Judicial Cooperation and the Memorandum of Understanding on Advancing Cooperation in Judicial Education and Research, which were both signed in May 2023.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

34. Foreign Ministries will regularly review the progress of the implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Our Foreign Ministers will maintain oversight of the strategic direction of the Singapore-France relationship through high-level exchanges.

35. This Joint Declaration opens an important new chapter in the Singapore-France relationship. We are confident that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will create further opportunities for our peoples to cooperate and advance the common peace, stability and prosperity of our countries.

Issued in Singapore on the 30^th day of May 2025.

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