S'pore, Indonesia to cooperate in new areas like energy, tech talent

Ties are in excellent order, PM Lee says at leaders’ retreat with President Joko Widodo

- Tham Yuen-C

Singapore and Indonesia are ready to cooperate in new areas, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday as both countries inked agreements in areas such as energy, sustainability, health and human capital development.

"Our bilateral relations are in excellent order," he said at a joint media conference at the SingaporeIndonesia Leaders' Retreat with President Joko Widodo.

"We are ready to break new ground in fresh areas of cooperation that are deep, multifaceted, forward-looking and mutually beneficial and will make a difference to future generations." Both governments signed six pacts, covering emerging areas such as the digital economy, sustainability and human capital development, and deepened cooperation in traditional areas like security, health and finance.

One agreement will establish the Singapore-Indonesia Tech-X Programme for young technology professionals to work in each other's countries for up to a year.

The tie-up will benefit professionals under 30 who graduated from any of Singapore's six autonomous universities, and those from 11 universities in Indonesia, such as the University of Indonesia and the Bandung Institute of Technology.

PM Lee said bilateral cooperation in technology will also strengthen regional collaboration in the sector, including working towards a Digital Economy Framework Agreement under Indonesia's Asean chairmanship.