[SINGAPORE] Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will visit Cambodia on Wednesday (Jul 2), a one-day trip that continues his introductory tour of the Asean member states since he was sworn in last May.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that PM Wong will participate in a welcome ceremony at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh. He will also have a royal audience with King Norodom Sihamoni, call on Senate President Hun Sen, and meet his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet.
The visit comes at the invitation of Hun Manet, who will also host the Singapore prime minister for an official lunch, said PMO.
Both South-east Asian countries will commemorate six decades of diplomatic ties this year, with relations formally established on Sep 15, 1965.
Hun Manet had earlier made his first visit to Singapore as Cambodia’s prime minister in June last year. The eldest son of long-time ruler Hun Sen took office in August 2023.
PM Wong visits Asean counterparts
Soon after PM Wong took office, he began the customary series of introductory visits across South-east Asian capitals – a tradition followed by previous prime ministers.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Friday, 8.30 am
Asean Business
Business insights centering on South-east Asia’s fast-growing economies.
His tour kicked off with Brunei and Malaysia in June 2024.
He then visited Laos in October in conjunction with his first Asean Summit as prime minister, before heading to Indonesia in November – where he was the first foreign leader to meet Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto since the latter’s October inauguration.
PM Wong’s fifth stop took him to Bangkok in November 2024, where he was again the first foreign leader to make an official visit to Thailand since Paetongtarn Shinawatra was appointed prime minister.
This year, PM Wong continued his Asean tour in March in Vietnam, where he met with the country’s “four pillars”.
The leader then visited the Philippines in June – his first bilateral visit since Singapore’s general election in May.
The upcoming Cambodia trip marks PM Wong’s eighth trip in his Asean tour.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) comprises ten South-east Asian nations: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar – where an internal conflict has been raging since the 2021 coup staged by the country’s military.
PM Wong’s delegation in Phnom Penh includes Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang.
While he is away, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will serve as the acting prime minister.
