A renewed commitment to Bangladesh's future

August 9, 2025 marks a historical milestone for Singapore. We celebrate our 60th year of independence this year. Singapore has come a long way since our early years of nationhood. When independence was thrust upon us, our GDP per capita was around $516. We were no longer part of a common market with Malaysia and no longer to play a role as the administrative, commercial and military hub of the British Empire in Southeast Asia. Dr Albert Winsemius, a Dutch economist who led the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) mission to provide advice on industrialisation, painted a bleak but not entirely hopeless picture for us back then. Singapore faced high unemployment, poor housing, low education, and the list went on.

Today, Singapore's GDP per capita is among the highest in the world. Our educational institutions are ranked among the best, and we rank among the top 10 countries in quality-of-life surveys. Our 60th birthday celebration is a day to celebrate these accomplishments, but more importantly, to also remember what it took to get to where we are today, a vibrant and thriving global city-state confident in its future.

A key to our success has been nurturing a set of national values that have stood the test of time. Meritocracy, adherence to the rule of law, and a zero tolerance for corruption have all become components of our DNA. Singapore ranks as the third least corrupt country in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Singapore also consistently ranks high in the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index in areas like regulatory enforcement. Singapore also ranks the highest among Southeast Asian countries in the Global Social Mobility Index by the World Economic Forum, performing well in areas such as health, education and access to technology and employment opportunities.

Another key to our success is the quality of our civil service and public institutions. Singapore ranks third globally in the 2022 Chandler Good Government Index, scoring well in areas such as policy effectiveness and institutional trust. We were also rated No. 1 in the 2024 Blavatnik Index of Public Administration, scoring high marks in leadership, public service delivery, public policy and integrity. Singaporeans and foreign residents and visitors alike have come to expect a competent, efficient and non-corrupt bureaucracy that works.

This is also reflected in our world-class public infrastructure, such as Singapore Changi Airport, our public transportation system and public hospitals. Changi Airport, for instance, is consistently ranked the world's best airport by World Airline Awards. Singapore's mass rapid transit (MRT) public transport system has also received international recognition for its inclusive architecture for elderly and disabled commuters. The MRT won an International Association of Public Transport award for operational excellence for its AI-powered system, which monitors train service disruptions in real time, leading to significant improvements in reliability. Our public healthcare system has also been lauded for its good public health outcomes. Singaporeans enjoy a long life expectancy of 84 years and low infant and maternal mortality rates. Singapore General Hospital and National University Hospital are listed among the world's best.

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Singapore's outward-looking, proactive and principled foreign policy posture has also been integral to our success. External trade has always been our lifeblood. Today, trade is three times the size of our GDP. We, therefore, consistently champion a stable, rules-based multilateral trading system. A more robust rules-based trading system creates more economic opportunities for Singaporeans and our companies. Singapore has built a strong network of bilateral, regional, and multilateral frameworks to promote trade. We have implemented 28 free trade agreements (FTAs) so far. We are also complementing this with innovative partnership agreements that foster rules and norms for new forms of trade, such as in the digital economy.

This brings me to my final point regarding our bilateral relations with Bangladesh. As Singapore turns 60, I am pleased to note that Singapore and Bangladesh have been long-standing friends since the establishment of bilateral relations in February 1972. While we have had long-standing people-to-people links, best encapsulated by the many Bangladeshis who live and work in Singapore, our relationship has since evolved into a multifaceted one which includes areas such as trade and investment, energy, health, infrastructure development, port management, and capacity-building.

Singapore's 60th anniversary coincides with a significant moment in Bangladesh's history. Bangladesh's interim government is busy undertaking the crucial task of restoring democracy, peace and prosperity following the events of July and August 2024. Singapore is committed to supporting the government's efforts in priority areas through capacity-building. More than 2,100 Bangladeshi civil servants have benefitted from our capacity-building programmes over the years, and we welcome more to these programmes.

Singapore's economic relations with Bangladesh are significant and growing. Singapore is Bangladesh's ninth-largest trading partner in 2024. The annual trade in goods volume between our countries was around $3.3 billion last year. Singapore has also been an investment partner of Bangladesh, with cumulative investments of about $1.4 billion. One major investment is Sembcorp's 420MW gas-fired power plant in Sirajganj. We expect our economic ties to deepen even further when Singapore port operator PSA is eventually granted the go-ahead to develop Chattogram's Bay Terminal, a game-changer which will make Bangladesh a transport hub in the Bay of Bengal.

As Bangladesh undertakes economic reforms, including diversifying its range of economic products and services, Singapore will continue to walk this journey with Bangladesh. This is why Singapore agreed to pursue an FTA with Bangladesh, which both sides seek to conclude in time for Bangladesh's graduation from the LDC status in 2026.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bangladeshis for their strong friendship and cooperation during our 53 years of diplomatic relations. Looking ahead, we will continue to work closely with our Bangladeshi friends to expand ties into new areas to take our countries to greater heights.

Mitchel Lee is charge d'affaires of Singapore High Commission in Bangladesh.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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