Singapore, Malaysia reaffirm deeper cooperation during Tharman's state visit

Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have reaffirmed the need to deepen cooperation on issues of shared interest, including food security and energy, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Tuesday, 14 July 2026.

President Tharman, who is on a three-day state visit to Malaysia, met Prime Minister Anwar on Monday, 13 July 2026. The two leaders exchanged views on geopolitical developments, including the situation in the Middle East, according to MFA.

Both leaders also reaffirmed the importance of upholding international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an international treaty governing the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of oceans. They further reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation.

In a Facebook post on 13 July, Prime Minister Anwar said he had received a courtesy call from President Tharman, during which they exchanged views on Malaysia-Singapore relations, regional developments and matters of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Anwar said their discussion touched on positive developments in resolving several outstanding matters. Both sides reiterated their commitment to resolving any remaining issues through constructive negotiation, grounded in mutual respect and mutual understanding.

He added that both leaders welcomed progress on the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), including efforts to finalise the JS-SEZ master plan in the near future. He described the initiative as one that would strengthen trade, investment and economic cooperation to the mutual benefit of both countries.

President Tharman also met Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar on Monday, where they discussed forging deeper cooperation in areas such as renewable energy and sustainable development.

On Tuesday, President Tharman visited the city of Shah Alam, where he met several leaders, including the Sultan of Selangor Sharafuddin Idris Shah and Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari.

During these engagements, the two sides discussed potential areas of collaboration, including technical and vocational education, climate adaptation and flood mitigation, and the growth of start-ups, MFA said. President Tharman also welcomed more exchanges between Singapore and Selangor.

Separately, the Sultan of Selangor received President Tharman at Istana Alam Shah in Klang on 14 July, according to a Facebook post by the Selangor Royal Office. Raja Muda Selangor Tengku Amir Shah was also present.

The meeting, which lasted almost an hour, covered various economic and development aspects concerning Selangor and Singapore, the post said. The Sultan's attention was drawn to the effectiveness of Singapore's flood mitigation technology, as well as its river cleaning methods and sustainable environmental development.

The Sultan said he wanted the Selangor state government to learn from and adapt the development models and technology used by Singapore to address flooding issues in the state, the Selangor Royal Office said.

President Tharman was accompanied at the meeting by YB Steven Sim, Malaysia's Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, who served as his escorting minister for the visit.

President Tharman later attended a dinner hosted by the Kuala Lumpur Business Club, where he engaged leaders in the economic and finance sectors.

According to MFA, President Tharman's address touched on the challenges of a post-unipolar world. He spoke of the need to maintain links with major powers while strengthening bridges with other regions.

He also spoke of the need to reform multilateralism, while stepping up the pace of ASEAN integration and bilateral cooperation, MFA said.

President Tharman was scheduled to attend a breakfast roundtable with business leaders on Wednesday, before departing Malaysia in the afternoon.