SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Mrs Wong hosted a dinner in honour of visiting Brunei Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah and his wife, Princess Pengiran Anak Sarah, on Sept 13 at Gardens by the Bay.
“His Royal Highness and I reaffirmed our commitment to the special relationship between our countries, discussed existing and new areas of cooperation, and unveiled commemorative stamps for the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties,” PM Wong, who is also Minister for Finance, said on Instagram.
“I am confident that our partnership will continue to be robust, forward-looking, and mutually beneficial,” he said.
PM Wong and the Crown Prince also toured the Impressions of Monet exhibition at the Flower Dome.
Crown Prince Billah is visiting Singapore from Sept 10 to 14 to attend the 10th Singapore-Brunei Young Leaders’ Programme, a key platform where leaders of both countries take turns to visit each other to build and renew bilateral and personal ties.
PM Wong is hosting Crown Prince Billah in Singapore for the first time since he was sworn in as prime minister in May.
He led a delegation to Brunei to attend the ninth edition of the programme in December 2023, when he was deputy prime minister.
Crown Prince Billah, 50, is first in line to succeed his father, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The 78-year-old absolute monarch is known to have struck a friendship early on with Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as both men strove to lead their young countries in a post-war, post-colonial era.