Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto welcomed Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Merdeka Palace. (BPMI Setpres/ Muchlis Jr).
Prime Minister Wong had arrived in Jakarta the previous day, where he was received by Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto. He was scheduled to hold meetings with President Prabowo and his ministerial cabinet.
The visit was a reciprocation of President Prabowo’s trip to Singapore in June 2025, intended to deepen bilateral relations between both countries and discuss the ongoing agreements’ progress. Both leaders also aimed to discuss regional and global developments
Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya echoed this sentiment, emphasising that the meeting between the two leaders would yield important agreements. Secretary Teddy said, “the annual meeting between the President of Indonesia and the Prime Minister of Singapore will also see the signing of 26 agreements/MoUs.”
One of the most notable MoUs concerned energy and the green economy, as well as cooperation on environmental issues and carbon trading.
This was built upon a prior MoU agreed by both Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Grace Fu, and Indonesia’s Minister of Environment/Head of the Environmental Control Agency, Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat, on June 29 in Jakarta.
The MoU aims to increase potential cooperation in waste management, circular economy implementation, haze pollution and climate change. In addition, the agreement also facilitates technology transfer, capacity building and joint studies between the two countries, which will involve officials within and outside the ministry.
Alongside this, both countries also agreed whether to utilise the Strait of Malacca as guaranteed of free passage, a vital maritime choke point for international trade.
This momentum of the leader’s retreat underscores an important highlight of both countries’ relationship, though complexities remain. President Prabowo reportedly expressed concern that Singapore allegedly at times acts in ways that undermine Indonesia’s position, further reflecting underlying sensitivities in the partnership.
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