As they celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties in 2025, France and Singapore have pledged to bolster defense cooperation in such areas as artificial intelligence (AI), counterterrorism, cybersecurity, supply chain resilience and technology.
The nations’ defense ministers met in Singapore in late May to discuss geopolitical challenges and security priorities and reaffirmed the “strong and broad-based” bilateral defense relations, which include France’s longtime hosting of the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s Advanced Jet Training Detachment at Cazaux Air Base near Bordeaux. With an area of just 719 square kilometers, Singapore has limited airspace for military training and exercises. It is the only non-NATO member with a military presence in France, according to the Singapore-based news network CNA.
Also in late May, French President Emmanuel Macron and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong elevated their countries’ relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership — Singapore’s first such agreement with a European nation, The Straits Times newspaper reported.
“Under the new partnership, we will enhance cooperation in other areas, including deployment of defense technology and critical and emerging technologies,” Wong said. “We will also reinforce the journey of cooperation, including by establishing a senior officials’ dialogue.”
Macron and French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu attended the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue while in Singapore. In his keynote address, Macron noted France’s role as an Indo-Pacific nation, which includes overseas territories that are home to more than 1 million French residents.
“We have more than 8,000 Soldiers permanently deployed in our bases,” he said. “We established permanent bases in the region with some partners. And we deployed a lot of common exercises with France during the past few years with a lot of countries, and even recently here [in Singapore] with our aircraft carrier.”
Macron, who also visited Indonesia and Vietnam during his weeklong Southeast Asia tour, outlined the threats facing the region and the global community.
“We have a challenge of revisionist countries that want to impose, under the name of spheres of influence — in reality, spheres of coercion — countries that want to control areas from the fringe of Europe to the archipelagos in the South China Sea at the exclusion of regional partners, oblivious to international law; countries that want to appropriate resources, whether fishing or mineral, and crowd out others from their benefit; countries that want to impose on free countries their foreign policy choices or prejudice their alliances,” he said.
Under their new agreements, France and Singapore will enhance a joint project launched in 2023 to develop AI capabilities, and facilitate the sharing and protection of classified information, The Straits Times reported.
Wong welcomed France’s expanded engagement in Southeast Asia.
“We want to have an open and inclusive region,” he said during a news conference. “We want a region that is not dominated by any single power. … We want to embrace comprehensive engagement with all parties and embrace win-win arrangements rather than zero-sum competition. We believe in the collective interest of all the parties in this region.
“France is … a Pacific power,” Wong said. “France has significant capabilities across a wide range of different areas and we have long-standing relations with France.”
