Official Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to Ottawa, Canada, 17 to 18 September 2026

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19 September 2026

Official Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to Ottawa, Canada, 17 to 18 September 2026

 Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan made an Official Visit to Ottawa, Canada, from 17 to 18 September 2026.

Minister Balakrishnan met and was hosted to lunch by Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand on 18 September 2026. The Ministers took stock of the growing bilateral account, including measures to advance cooperation in trade and investments, defence and security, as well as people-to-people ties. They looked forward to Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong's visit to Canada later this year as an opportunity to further deepen bilateral ties. Both Ministers agreed on the importance of strengthening our partnership to build strategic resilience. They signed a Joint Statement to establish a Singapore-Canada Economic Partnership Framework that sets out Singapore and Canada's shared commitment to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, energy and food security, two-way investment, supply chain resilience, and public service cooperation. The Joint Statement is at ANNEX.

The Ministers discussed opportunities to further strengthen ASEAN-Canada ties, including during Singapore's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027, which will mark the 50^th anniversary of ASEAN-Canada Dialogue Relations. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the timely conclusion of negotiations on the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement. They also noted ongoing discussions on conducting joint capacity-building programmes under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) to advance development cooperation in the ASEAN region.

Minister Balakrishnan also met Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Evan Solomon. They discussed opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation in emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.

Minister Balakrishnan also had a series of engagements with Canadian academics, business leaders, and officials during the visit. They exchanged views on developments in Canada, geopolitical developments, and Canada's engagement of the Indo-Pacific region.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE
19 SEPTEMBER 2026

ANNEX

JOINT STATEMENT BY ANITA ANAND, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF CANADA, AND VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE ON A CANADA-SINGAPORE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK

Today, Anita Anand, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Singapore (hereinafter referred to collectively as "the Participants"), issued this joint statement:

BUILDING ON the longstanding and constructive relationship between Canada and Singapore, underpinned by strong economic and people-to-people ties and decades of collaboration across government, business, and academic institutions;

REAFFIRMING our shared commitment to multilateralism, international law and a rules-based trading system providing for a predictable, transparent, non-discriminatory, open and fair global trading environment;

RECOGNIZING our status as trusted partners and our shared interest in strengthening economic resilience, advancing innovation, and contributing to a more stable and prosperous world;

RECALLING the priority areas identified by Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney and Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong during their meeting in October 2025, and recognizing the value of a practical roadmap to advance bilateral initiatives and monitor progress on shared objectives;

DECLARE our intent to establish a Canada-Singapore Economic Partnership Framework (the "Framework") to deepen economic cooperation and advance practical initiatives in areas of mutual interest, including:

• Fostering cooperation in emerging technologies through the promotion of joint research, innovation, and commercialization activities in areas such as advancing artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, enhancing cybersecurity cooperation, coordinating governance of emerging technologies, and exploring opportunities for collaboration in other emerging and critical technologies, with a view to promoting economic growth.

• Enhancing energy security by accelerating the energy transition through clean and conventional energy opportunities including LNG, critical minerals cooperation, promoting diversified and resilient energy supply chains, and supporting greater energy resilience, including through civil nuclear cooperation.

• Strengthening cooperation on food security, including by enhancing agri-food trade cooperation and strengthening resilient, sustainable, and diversified food supply chains.

• Promoting two-way investment by advancing investment facilitation and modernization, and deepening economic engagement to support a more conducive, transparent, and business-friendly environment.

• Cooperating to enhance supply chain resilience and advancing paperless trade, including through the deepening of strategic and critical supply chain cooperation and information exchange, including in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and life sciences, adoption of digital documentation, greater interoperability across trade systems, and collaboration on port modernization to facilitate efficient, secure, and seamless trade flows.

• Deepening public service cooperation through enhanced public policy cooperation and exchanges, fostering the sharing of best practices and strengthening institutional capabilities in areas of mutual interest.

The Ministers today agreed to launch negotiations toward an Economic Cooperation Framework, under which they will:

• Identify and advance concrete initiatives under the Framework, including opportunities for government to government, private sector and academic coordination, facilitate information sharing, promote talent development and strengthen joint programming; and explore cooperation through dialogues, working groups, exchanges and other mutually determined activities in areas of shared interest;

• Identify an appropriate mechanism to coordinate implementation, monitor progress, facilitate regular exchanges and update the Framework, its priorities and themes, as warranted, to support sustainable economic growth, resilience, and prosperity.

This Joint Statement is not legally binding and does not constitute or create any legal, financial or other commitments on the part of the Government of Canada or the Government of the Republic of Singapore.

Ottawa, Ontario

September 18, 2026

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