 | |
 Singapore |  United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Singaporean High Commission, London | British High Commission, Singapore |
| Envoy | |
| High Commissioner Ng Teck Hean | High Commissioner Nikesh Metha |
Singapore–United Kingdom relations, also referred to asBritish–Singaporean relations, refers to the bilateral relations between theRepublic of Singapore and theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Both countries are full members of theCommonwealth of Nations and are marked by historical, cultural, institutional and language ties, extensive people-to-people links, aligned security interests, sporting tournaments, and significant trade and investment co-operation.
| Common name | Singapore | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Official name |  Republic of Singapore |  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Coat of Arms |  | .svg) |
| Flag |  |  |
| Population | 5,638,700[1] | 67,886,004[2] |
| Area | 725.7 km2 (280.2 sq mi)[3] | 242,495 km2 (93,628 sq mi)[4] |
| Population Density | 7,804/km2 (20,210/sq mi) | 270.1/km2 (700/sq mi) |
| Time zones | 1 | 1[note 1] |
| Capital | Singapore (City-state) | London |
| Largest City | Singapore – 5,638,700 (City-state) | London – 8,961,989 (14,257,962 Metro) |
| Government | Unitarydominant-partyparliamentary constitutional republic | Unitaryparliamentaryconstitutional monarchy |
| Established | 1299 (Founding of the Kingdom of Singapore) 9 August 1965 (Proclamation of Singapore) | 1535 & 1542 (Annexation of Wales to England) 1603 (Union of the Crowns) 1707 (Acts of Union of England and Scotland) |
| Head of State |  Tharman Shanmugaratnam |  Charles III |
| Head of Government |  Lawrence Wong |  Keir Starmer |
| Deputy Leader | Heng Swee Keat | Angela Rayner[note 2] |
| Legislature | Parliament of Singapore | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Official/National Languages | English,Mandarin Chinese,Malay,Tamil | English[note 3] |
| National Anthem | Majulah Singapura (Onward Singapore) | God Save the King[note 4] |
| National carrier | Singapore Airlines | British Airways |
| International airport | Changi Airport | Heathrow Airport |
| Public broadcasting | Mediacorp | BBC |
| Military | Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) | British Armed Forces[note 5] |
| Law Enforcement Agency | Singapore Police Force (SPF) | National Crime Agency (NCA) |
| GDP (nominal) | $372.807 billion[5] | $2.744 trillion[5] |
| GDP (nominal) per capita | $68,487[5] | $41,030[5] |
| GDP (PPP) | $615.698 billion[5] | $3.131 trillion[5] |
| GDP (PPP) per capita | $107,604[5] | $46,827[5] |
| Currency | Singapore dollar (SG$) | Pound sterling (GB£) |
| Human Development Index | 0.935 (very high)[6] | 0.920 (very high)[6] |
Britain first established a settlement on the island of Singapore in 1819 underSir Thomas Stamford Raffles, and took possession of the whole island in 1823. It formally became a British colony in 1824, and remained in British hands (apart from theJapanese occupation of 1941-45) until 1963, until the island was granted independence as part of Malaysia. Between 1963 and 1965, Singapore formed part ofMalaysia. The British Armed Forces maintained a presence in Singapore at the request of the founding Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew for stability reasons and to allow for a gradual transition to independence and self-reliance. After the end of theMalayan Emergency andKonfrontasi, the British military gradually withdrew during the 1960s and 1970s, with the infrastructure turned over to the fledglingSingapore Armed Forces.[7]
As a result of the long historical relationship,English is one of Singapore's 4 official languages (seeSingapore English).
The United Kingdom co-operates with Singapore on a wide range of international issues. Singapore's non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council (2001/02) further intensified bilateral contacts on key issues affecting international peace and security. The UK and Singapore have also been closely co-operating in the area of counter terrorism and counter proliferation, both politically and operationally.
Since 1971, the two countries have co-operated militarily through theFive Power Defence Arrangements, which involve annual joint exercises with other partnersMalaysia,Australia andNew Zealand. The UK has a defence attache in Singapore and a logistics supply depot, known as theBritish Defence Singapore Support Unit (BDSSU), inSembawang.[8] In contrast, Singapore has no military attache in their High Commission in London. An EU Centre report suggests that Singapore's defence attache to the UK is located in the embassy in Paris.[9][10] A recent news report stated that the UK wished to increase its defence cooperation with Singapore.[11]
Singapore is the United Kingdom's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, with two thirds of UK exports to this region flowing into Singapore. UK exports of goods only to Singapore in 2010 were valued at £3.29billion, a 15% increase from 2009 while imports of goods from Singapore in 2010 were valued at £3.99billion, an 18% increase from 2009. The top exports of UK goods to Singapore are power generating machinery, beverages and general industrial machinery while the top exported goods from Singapore were organic chemical, power generating machinery and office machines. As of 2009, Singapore was the UK's 11th largest market for services exports.[12]
There are few import tariffs from Singapore who supports theWorld Trade Organization process fully. Singapore was the firstASEAN country to commence negotiations with the EU for a bilateralFree Trade Agreement (FTA). The two countries signed acontinuityfree trade agreement on 10 December 2020, which came into effect on 1 January 2021.[13] The United Kingdom has completed negotiations toaccede toComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on 31 March 2023, of which Singapore is a founding member.[14][15]
The UK and Singapore have signed a Digital Economy Agreement (DEA). As a result of the agreement, businesses and consumers can now benefit from: open digital markets, including guaranteed tariff-free flow of digital content, free flow of trusted data guaranteed protections for personal data and intellectual property, and cheaper trade through the adoption of digital trading systems.[16]
The UK is the fourth largest foreign investor in Singapore with cumulative stock of £23.5 billion at end 2009. There are over 31,000 British nationals and some 700 British companies in Singapore. Many of the major long-term British investors have increased their footprint in Singapore recently, including Barclays, Dyson, HSBC, Rolls-Royce, Shell and Standard Chartered. There has also been a significant increase in the number of British SMEs entering the market and British universities establishingcollaborative partnerships with Singapore's educational institutions.[12]
The UK attracts over two thirds of all Singaporean investment into theEuropean Union with a cumulative stock of £20.6 billion with financial and insurance services, real estate and ICT being the most significant sectors.[12]
In 2011, six dignitaries from the United Kingdom visited Singapore, includingPeter Ricketts, the national security advisor, in January,Martin Donnelly, BIS permanent secretary, in February, John Aston, FCO special representative for climate change, in March,Jeremy Browne, minister of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in April,Liam Fox, secretary of state for defence, in June andThe Duke of York in September. The two Singaporean dignitaries who visited the United Kingdom in 2011 are Ow Foong Pheng, permanent secretary Singapore Ministry of Trade & Industry in September andTony Tan, President of Singapore in December.[17] In October 2014, Tony Tan made the first official state visit of apresident of Singapore to the United Kingdom and was hosted byQueen Elizabeth and theDuke andDuchess of Cambridge.[18][19]
Education links between Singapore and the United Kingdom are strong. As of 2011, more than 3,000 Singaporeans were studying in the United Kingdom and theBritish Council estimate that around 80,000 UK qualifications are awarded annually in Singapore through "twinning" programmes. Due to Singapore's membership in the Commonwealth, Singaporean students qualify for scholarships such as theCommonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan andChevening Scholarship to further their studies in the United Kingdom. Links in the arts are also strong with many British artists and organisations being invited to perform and the established presence of British music examination boards such asABRSM.[20]
TheBritish Council has a large presence teaching English to around 20,000 Singaporeans and foreign nationals. Current British Council projects focus on the internationalisation of education, developing young leaders to take action against climate change and the exchange of knowledge and expertise in the arts and creative industries.[citation needed]
Text was copied from this source, which is available under anOpen Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
