Singapore and UAE to launch Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations
Singapore and the United Arab Emirates intend to launch negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to deepen economic integration and facilitate trade and investment flows. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan
SINGAPORE: Singapore and the United Arab Emirates intend to launch negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Wednesday (21 Oct 2026). The agreement will deepen economic integration, facilitate trade and investment flows, and create opportunities for businesses in both countries, the MFA said.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan during an official visit by Mr Wong to the Middle East, including a stop in Qatar. Mr Wong met with Sheikh Mohamed in Abu Dhabi, where the two leaders reaffirmed the warm and longstanding relations between Singapore and the UAE.
They also witnessed the exchange of three Memorandums of Understanding in energy cooperation, water cooperation and disease vector control, and welcomed the establishment of a new joint energy task force between both countries. The task force will be able to identify opportunities across the energy value chain, from trading to infrastructure and downstream activities. Both sides also welcomed ongoing cooperation in nuclear energy, involving the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC).
Mr Wong also met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan during his visit. Both leaders welcomed the strong economic and commercial ties between their countries and discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation in areas of shared priorities. "The UAE is Singapore's largest trading partner in the Middle East. Our economic ties are strong, and we see good potential to deepen cooperation in areas such as AI, digitalisation, energy, defence and space," Mr Wong said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Singapore and the UAE commemorated 40 years of diplomatic relations last year, and total non-oil bilateral trade reached around US$6.5 billion last year, up 25 per cent from the year before. In a joint statement, the two countries said they agreed to work towards further expanding trade and investment ties, and welcomed Singapore state investor Temasek's announcement that it would deepen its presence in the UAE by opening an office in Abu Dhabi. Temasek announced last month that it plans to open offices in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in the first half of next year, subject to approvals.
Singapore will chair ASEAN in 2027, where both nations hope to advance talks toward an ASEAN–GCC Free Trade Agreement, Singapore and UAE said in a joint statement. Both sides welcomed the deepening of cultural and people-to-people ties between Singapore and the UAE, which form an important foundation of the bilateral relationship. More than 4,000 Singaporeans live in the UAE, the biggest such community in the region.
