PUBLISHED ONNovember 07, 2025 6:45 AMBYSean LerNeighbours Singapore and Thailand strengthened cooperation on rice trade and healthcare during Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's one-day official visit to Singapore on Friday (Nov 7).
At a joint press conference with his Thai counterpart after both sides held a bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that the two countries have forged a relationship built on "trust, respect and deep friendship".
"Our ties today are deep and resilient, and our bilateral relations are excellent," PM Wong said, adding that "there remains tremendous potential for us to do even more together".
Agreeing with PM Wong on the depth of bilateral relations, Thai PM Anutin noted that Singapore has been Thailand's top foreign investor for the past two years and welcomes further investments in high-tech industries such as biotech, data centres and semiconductors.
PM Anutin also reaffirmed Thailand's commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system for which Singapore is an advocate.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in existing areas such as defence and security, while stepping up collaboration in new areas such as carbon emissions reduction, green investments and energy security.
Moving forward, authorities in Singapore and Thailand will also partner up to combat cybercrimes and scams as the two nations' economies and societies "go digital".
The two leaders also witnessed the exchange of a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) on rice trade and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on healthcare.
Under the MOC, Thailand will support and facilitate the assured sale of rice on mutually agreed terms, upon request by the Singapore government.
In a joint media statement on Nov 7, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the Singapore Food Agency said that the MOC will help the two countries avoid "unnecessary restrictive measures".
"The MOC reiterates both countries' commitment to the importance of open, transparent and mutually beneficial trade in rice, and expands the strong bilateral rice trade between both countries by avoiding unnecessary restrictive measures," the statement read.
Figures from the World Bank's World Integrated Trade Solution show that Thailand was Singapore's top supplier for rice - with 113,549 tonnes imported from the kingdom last year.
Singapore has moved to strengthen the resilience of its food supply chain in recent months.
On Oct 30, Singapore inked a similar agreement with Vietnam on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea.
In a statement following that MOC, Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu said: "As a country that imports over 90 per cent of our food, Singapore is not spared from global food supply disruptions.
"Securing global and regional partnerships is essential for securing a stable supply of rice for Singapore."
SingHealth and the Thailand Department of Medical Services will also enhance cooperation in programmes related to healthcare for seniors under a new MOU signed on Nov 7.
Under the new healthcare cooperation agreement, Singapore will conduct capacity-building programmes for Thai healthcare leaders in geriatrics and geriatrics rehabilitation services.
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