“There are numerous other examples of how – across the board – our two sides are earnestly working together for mutual benefit.

“While there is much that we can be proud of accomplishing together in the last six decades, there is much more that Singapore and Malaysia can yet do together to bring relations to the next level,” he said at Malaysia’s National Day and Malaysia Day reception, organised by the High Commission of Malaysia in Singapore, Thursday night.

Balakrishnan said Singapore and Malaysia’s longstanding and close partnership cuts across multiple domains, including regular interactions at all levels to build trust, discuss ideas and co-create solutions.

He said that economically, the two neighbouring countries have long been among each other’s largest trading partners and are doubling down on growing the pie together, such as through the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).

He said that since the JS-SEZ Agreement was signed in January this year, it has generated strong interest from the business community.

“By leveraging our complementary strengths, the JS-SEZ will help both sides better navigate the growing global economic uncertainty. The JS-SEZ has the potential to be a game-changer, not just for multinational corporations but also our homegrown small and medium enterprises,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link), scheduled to commence passenger service by end-2026, will significantly reduce commute time, enhance physical connectivity and unlock many more opportunities for both sides to collaborate in various areas.

Balakrishnan said that beyond all the ‘hardware’, Singapore and Malaysia also cooperate closely on ‘software’ such as cultural exchange and the deepening of people-to-people ties.

This includes submitting a joint nomination to inscribe Chingay on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity earlier this year, as well as the successful inscription of the kebaya in 2024, which also involved Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand.

He added that Singapore will organise the third Triennial Cultural Showcase (TCS) later this year in Malaysia -- an important platform to enable and highlight the numerous cross-cultural exchanges across the countries’ creative, arts, and heritage communities.

Balakrishnan also noted that the Singapore International Foundation and Yayasan Guru Tun Hussein Onn collaborated on the inaugural Malaysia-Singapore English Volunteers Programme (MSEVP).

Under the MSEVP, volunteers from Singapore will assist with the teaching of the English language in selected schools and states in Malaysia. 

-- BERNAMA