[SINGAPORE] Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, and then make his first official visit to Ethiopia in a five-day trip from Friday (Nov 21), the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
He arrives in Johannesburg on Friday evening and will attend the summit at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is hosting the event.
This is the first G20 summit to be held in Africa; the theme will be “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” in a nod to the interlinked global crises of climate change, inequality and geopolitical instability.
However, some key leaders said they will skip the meeting: US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he was boycotting the summit over debunked claims that white Afrikaners were being persecuted in the country.
This week, Ramaphosa said the US has had a “change of mind” and asked to participate. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the South African president of “running his mouth a little bit”.
She said the US administration planned to send a representative of its embassy in South Africa – not to participate in the official talks, but only to recognise that the US would be the next G20 summit’s host, to “receive that send-off”. After these comments, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson wrote on X: “The President will not hand over to a charge d’affaires.”
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Premier Li Qiang will represent him at the summit.
Singapore is not a G20 member but has participated actively in the discussions for almost two decades.
PM Wong is set to speak on promoting inclusive and sustainable growth, as well as fostering a fair and just future against the backdrop of rapid artificial intelligence (AI) development and the changing nature of work, PMO said.
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PM Wong is also expected to have bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the summit.
First visit to Ethiopia
On Sunday, he will head to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa at the invitation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, who made an official visit to Singapore in June 2024.
This is his first bilateral visit to Africa since taking the helm. He will be the first Singapore PM to visit Ethiopia since the city-state gained independence. The last official visit by a Singapore prime minister to the east African nation was Lee Kuan Yew in 1964.
A packed schedule awaits him. His first full day in Addis Ababa will kick off with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Adwa Victory Memorial, a monument to celebrate the Ethiopian army’s victory over an invading Italian army in 1896.
He will then receive a ceremonial welcome at the National Palace and attend a series of meetings.
Both prime ministers will witness the exchange of bilateral memorandums of understanding and hold a joint press conference.
PM Wong will also meet Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, to exchange views on the centre’s work in Africa and its partnership with Singapore.
PM Wong will be accompanied by his wife, Loo Tze Lui, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, as well as officials from their ministries. Minister of State for Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang and Minister of State for Health Rahayu Mahzam will also join PM Wong in Ethiopia.
While PM Wong is away, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will be the acting prime minister from Nov 21 to 24. Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam will take on the role on Nov 25.
Singapore-Ethiopia relations
Singapore and Ethiopia established diplomatic ties in March 1969. Various key leaders and officials from Singapore have visited Ethiopia since, including then-deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean in 2017.
In 2024, Ethiopia was Singapore’s eighth-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, with bilateral trade in goods amounting to S$275 million.
Several Singapore companies have set up a presence there. This includes agribusiness and manufacturer Wilmar International, infrastructure development consulting firm SMEC and fast-moving consumer goods distributor Olam.
In August 2016, Singapore and Ethiopia signed a comprehensive agreement to avoid double taxation. This took effect in December the following year.
More than 300 Ethiopian officials have participated in courses under the Singapore Cooperation Programme, mainly in civil aviation, public administration, environment and urban development. The programme, Singapore’s technical assistance platform for developing countries, is aimed at paying forward the support Singapore received from the international community in its early years.
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