Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited Bangkok on September 2, 2026, for the Singapore-Thailand Leaders' Retreat with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, marking the first such meeting since 2015 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. This retreat also represented the first time the two leaders met for such an event, resuming a dialogue after an 11-year hiatus since the fourth retreat in 2015 [1, 4, 6]. Previous editions took place in 2003, 2005, and 2015 [6].
During the retreat, the leaders reviewed longstanding defence and economic cooperation between Singapore and Thailand and exchanged views on key regional and international developments [1, 2, 3, 5, 6]. They discussed expanding collaboration into new areas including the green and digital economies, energy resilience, food security, combating transnational crime, fintech, and physical connectivity [1, 2, 3, 5, 6].
Singapore and Thailand signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen cooperation in social sector development. The agreement covers personnel exchanges, knowledge sharing, visits, and joint capacity-building [1, 4, 5]. The MOU was signed by Singapore’s Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli and Thailand’s Social Development and Human Security Minister Nikorn Soemklang [4]. Prime Minister Wong said, "We will continue to promote closer people-to-people ties, including among our civil servants and researchers. The MOU we just signed on cooperation in social sector development will also enable us to learn from each other's experiences and find new solutions together" [4].
Prime Minister Wong was accompanied by his wife and ministers Chan Chun Sing, Vivian Balakrishnan, Grace Fu, Masagos Zulkifli, and Josephine Teo [1, 2, 3, 5]. A delegation of 11 Singapore business leaders from companies including Breadtalk, Capitaland, Grab, PSA, Sats, Sea Group, Sembcorp, Singtel, ST Telemedia, Temasek Foundation, and UOB attended the official dinner hosted by Thai Prime Minister Anutin [5].
Bilateral trade between Singapore and Thailand reached S$52.4 billion (US$41.1 billion) in 2025, a 17.8% increase from the previous year [1]. Thailand was Singapore's ninth-largest trading partner and third-largest in ASEAN in 2025, while Singapore remained Thailand's largest source of foreign direct investment at US$17.57 billion [1].
The leaders agreed to develop a multi-year ASEAN agenda to maintain continuity during successive chairmanships, with Singapore hosting in 2027 and Thailand in 2028 [6]. Prime Minister Wong added, "By doing so, we can sustain the momentum on important initiatives, and make greater progress on issues that matter to our region" [6].
Thai Prime Minister Anutin reaffirmed Thailand's commitment to the peaceful resolution of differences with Cambodia and stressed ASEAN's role in supporting peace and prosperity in Myanmar, stating, "We reaffirmed that ASEAN has an important role in supporting a peaceful and prosperous Myanmar. Thailand remains committed to resolving differences with Cambodia peacefully through existing bilateral mechanisms" [6].
