Transcript of Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Wrap-Up Interview with Singapore Media, 19 September 2026 in Ottawa, Canada

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I’m currently in Ottawa. I arrived yesterday from Doha, Qatar, so maybe let me start with a few words on the situation in the Middle East.

Qatar is a vital partner to Singapore. It has been a major source of our LNG. The impact of the war in the Middle East, in particular the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has been a major impediment for Qatar and its exports of LNG to us. Fortunately, in the case of Singapore, we’ve got diversified sources, so we’ve been able to cope with this disruption. But it was important to be in Qatar to express our solidarity and to explore some preliminary ideas on resilience for the future. Of course, both Qatar and Singapore continue to insist on freedom of navigation, especially in Straits Used for International Navigation like the Strait of Hormuz. But we will have to wait and see how things evolve. I don’t see any quick solution. In fact, the subsequent actions in the last week or so, which have resulted in problems in Bab al Mandab - which at the southern end of the Red Sea – which will affect exports of Saudi Arabia – are another warning sign. Frankly, we have to anticipate further disruptions to fuel supply from the Middle East region. That remains an area of concern and an area which we will continue to monitor closely and work closely and carefully with our partners.

From Doha, I flew in to Ottawa. Canada is undergoing an interesting and challenging period. You would have noticed that the Canadian leadership is very focused right now on expanding both its transatlantic and trans-Pacific opportunities. Regardless of the situation relating to their trade with the United States, the fact remains that both the transatlantic and trans-Pacific economic opportunities are plentiful, and in fact, Canada has a complementary role to play. Canada is a superpower in energy – both fossil fuels and renewable energy. It has got strengths in artificial intelligence, particularly the academic and scientific side of the house. It has got technologies and potential for renewable energy. It is also a source of food and will play an increasingly important role for food security not only within North America but across the world – both transatlantic and trans-Pacific.

Foreign Minister Anita Anand and I signed a Joint Statement which will lead to the establishment of a Canada-Singapore Economic Partnership Framework. We hope to get this ready within the next couple of months. We were really looking for complementarities between Canada and Singapore. I think this will give us many opportunities, including for Singaporean companies who want to invest in Canada or who want to take advantage of the complementarities in our economies. For Canada, the Asia-Pacific offers many opportunities. It is complementary to the Canadian economy and there are vast markets in Asia which will be available to Canada.

So all in all, a good and important, somewhat exhausting, series of visits, but one which I think is all the more relevant, all the more salient, given the current state of the world.

Tan Ke Yang (LHZB):  You spoke about the Joint Statement signed with the Canadians. I know there have been past discussions with the Canadians regarding energy, the digital economy, and food security. What are the tangible outcomes within the near term we can expect with Canada?

Minister: We are looking at a series of agreements. I can’t give you specifics now, but to cover the themes – we are looking at Canada as a source of energy for us. There are technical issues that need to be resolved. We are looking at Canada as a source of food, and in particular, we’re also looking at the possibility of having more formal arrangements for trade in essential supplies with Canada as well. AI and the digital economy is another area where I think there are complementary opportunities both for our companies, as well as Canadian companies with products and services in the digital arena. We will also look at possibilities in digital payments. All these again are preliminary, but we hope that within the next two to three months, we will have some agreements ripe and ready for signature.

Sean Ler (AsiaOne): You’ve been across continents and between different platforms quite a fair bit recently. What drives this stretch of engagements?

Minister: I don’t think it’s “recently”. This has been a constant pattern. Because the world is in this current state of disruption, because of the ongoing conflicts, because of the disruption to supply chains, and because Singapore is exquisitely exposed to external events, it is important for us to maintain a very close watch on what is happening, why it is happening, the decision makers, and the policymakers. There is a need for all of us – and not just me, but for all the other Ministers as well – to travel, to meet people, suss out opportunities, and also to be acutely aware of the dangers, and in some cases, latent dangers, that will emerge. So yes, it means covering the major powers, the middle powers,  it means covering even smaller countries across the Pacific Islands for instance, and now in North America, in Canada. And after this, I’ll be going to the United Nations for the General Assembly in New York. So, this is the constant.

Sherlyn Seah (CNA TV): You mentioned a bit about the situation with the US, but I want to ask how Singapore assesses the current tensions between Canada and the US. Also, with Canada looking to deepen ties with Europe, including possibly being an EU Associate Member, what could the implications be for Singapore?

Minister: First of all, Canada and the US have a special relationship. They are very tightly integrated economically, politically, and at the people-to-people level. It’s not Singapore’s role to get directly involved in the toing and froing of such a close and mutually dependent relationship. Having said that, I think it is a path of no regret for Canada to explore opportunities across both the Atlantic and the Pacific, because Canada does have goods and services, and products and resources, which are in demand all over the world. Canada should maximise its opportunities for trade and investment across the Asia-Pacific and in Europe. What is happening now, and the fact that Canadian bandwidth is now allocated across a much broader spectrum of the world, is an opportunity. It is an opportunity for us in Asia, and in particular, for Singapore. The other dimension is that we want Canada to do more with ASEAN. As we assume the Chairmanship of ASEAN next year, we look forward to much deeper integration between Canada and ASEAN. For instance, one of the things which we are pursuing right now is negotiations for an ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement. Watch this space again in the next few months, or certainly by next year. I hope there will be a significant breakthrough in the negotiations for an ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement.

Vanessa Lim (CNA Digital): You’ve actually touched on my question – I was going to ask about the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement. Have the growing trade tensions between the US and Canada actually added  urgency to concluding the agreement? You also mentioned that ASEAN wants to work more closely with Canada, so has the trade tensions also added urgency?

Minister: I would prefer not to frame it that way because that suggests a zero-sum game, or that problems in one set of accounts create opportunities in the other. I am not fond of that kind of framing. My preferred frame is that Canada has much to offer, and Canada is now looking for opportunities on a global level – across the Pacific and across the Atlantic. The fact that Canada is now focused on doing is an opportunity, especially for us in the Asia-Pacific where we see Canada as another like-minded partner. We believe in globalisation, and rules-based, liberal, free and fair trade. It is a source of investment, a source of technology, a source of energy. It is a complementary relationship, which I would say is overdue. Now that the stars are aligned, we should maximise the opportunities in this relationship.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

19 SEPTEMBER 2026