Portuguese-Singaporean relations

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portuguese-Singaporean relations
Portuguese-Singaporean Relations (World)
Portugal
Portugal
Singapore
Singapore
PortugalPortugal SingaporeSingapore
Portugal Singapore

The Portuguese-Singaporean relations encompass the intergovernmental relationship between Portugal and Singapore . The two states have had direct diplomatic relations since 1980.

The relations are considered good, the most important links are the economic relations and the efforts of both countries for regional and international understanding. The most important direct forum are the Euro-Asian summits , and mutual state visits at the highest level should also be mentioned.

In 2016, 40 Singaporean citizens were registered in Portugal, with 14 of them most of them in the greater Lisbon area . In 2014, 522 citizens were registered in the consulate of the Portuguese embassy in Singapore.

history

British Singapore map from 1825: at the time of the Portuguese presence in the Strait of Malacca from the early 16th century, Singapore was not yet an important trading center and only rose under the British in the 19th century

Since the conquest of Malacca by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1511, Portugal rose to become the dominant trading power in the Strait of Malacca . However, since Singapore was not a major trading center at that time, the Portuguese did not settle here.

In the 19th century, Singapore came under British rule. After temporary Japanese occupation in World War II and the subsequent federation with Malaysia from 1962, Singapore finally gained full independence on August 9, 1965. The colonial Estado Novo regime in Portugal, embroiled in the Portuguese colonial wars and increasingly isolated in terms of foreign policy, initially did not establish any relations with the new city-state.

After the Portuguese Carnation Revolution in 1974 and the subsequent end of the Portuguese colonial empire in 1975, the now democratic Portugal realigned its foreign policy. On August 24, 1980, Portugal and Singapore established diplomatic relations; on December 20, 1980, the Portuguese ambassador in Bangkok was the first representative of Portugal to be double accredited in Singapore .

Branch of the Portuguese-born Nando’s restaurant chain in Singapore: relations between Portugal and Singapore are now considered good.

In the 1990s, both Portugal since joining the EU (1986) and Singapore, one of the Asian tiger states, have seen considerable development. In the sign of their economic expansion, the two countries grew closer. On March 16, 2001, a first treaty for the mutual prevention of tax evasion and double taxation came into force.

Singapore's economic development was initially dampened by the 1997 Southeast Asian crisis and then the 2002/2003 SARS pandemic . After the global financial crisis from 2007, growth also came to a standstill in Portugal. On May 14, 2009, the Portuguese government decided to open the first Portuguese embassy in Singapore, before the country fell into a severe economic crisis after the euro crisis from 2010 and then only slowly recovered.

The relations intensified further under the sign of the economic and political efforts of both countries. Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo visited Portugal in August 2007, and Portugal's Foreign Minister Luis Amado made a return visit to Singapore in February 2009 .

Portugal's President Aníbal Cavaco Silva made a two-day state visit to Singapore in May 2012.

In Singapore on May 28, 2012, the two countries signed a bilateral air traffic agreement and a comprehensive cooperation agreement in the fields of education, science, technology, universities, culture, art, youth, sport and the media. An update of the previous double taxation agreement also agreed there came into force on December 26, 2013.

In May 2014, Singapore's President Tony Tan Keng Yam made a three-day state visit to Portugal.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Tony Tan Keng Yam expressed their condolences to Portugal's Prime Minister António Costa and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on the occasion of the wildfires in Portugal in 2017, which had many victims .

The Singapore embassy in Paris is also responsible for Portugal. There is an honorary consulate for Singapore in Lisbon.

diplomacy

Portugal maintains an embassy in Singapore. Portugal has not opened an additional consulate in the city-state of Singapore.

Singapore's embassy in Portugal is vacant; the Singaporean representation in Paris is responsible for the country (as of August 2019). A Singaporean honorary consulate has been set up in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon .

economy

The headquarters of the United Microelectronics Corporation in Singapore: after medicines, microelectronics is the main Singaporean export item to Portugal, from where mainly switching elements and vehicles go to Singapore

The trade volume between Portugal and Singapore in 2016 was EUR 100.7 million ( 2015 : 95.0 million, 2014 : 80.5 million, 2013 : 71.1 million, 2012 : 76.4 million), with a trade balance surplus of 10.8 million euros in favor of Singapore, in the previous year it was 10.7 million in favor of Portugal ( 2014 : 9.0 million, 2013 : 42.5 million, 2012 : 36.6 million .). Due to the Portuguese aircraft purchases in Singapore in 2016, the balance for Singapore was positive that year, after the traditionally negative trade balance in trade with Portugal. 400 Portuguese companies were trading with Singapore in 2016.

In 2016, Portugal exported goods worth EUR 44.9 million to Singapore ( 2015 : 52.9 million; 2014 : 44.7 million; 2013 : 57.1 million; 2012 : 56.5 million) , of which 57.6% machines and devices (mainly electronic components), 7.7% chemical-pharmaceutical products, 4.3% vehicles and vehicle parts, 4.0% metal goods and 3.8% textile composites (especially ropes and cables ).

In the same period, Singapore delivered goods worth 55.8 million euros to Portugal ( 2015 : 42.1 million; 2014 : 35.1 million; 2013 : 14.6 million; 2012 : 19.9 million) , thereof 46.2% chemical-pharmaceutical products, 40.0% machines and devices, 6.2% plastics and rubber, 4.1% optical and precision devices, and 1.1% food.

This put Singapore in 56th place as a buyer and in 58th place as a supplier for Portuguese foreign trade, while Portugal was in 58th place as a buyer and 47th as a supplier in Singapore's foreign trade.

The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP has a contact office in Singapore at the Portuguese Embassy.

Web links

Commons : Portuguese-Singaporean Relations  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Overview of diplomatic relations with Singapore at the Diplomatic Institute in the Portuguese Foreign Ministry , accessed on September 7, 2019
  2. ↑ Official Portuguese Aliens Statistics by District , Portuguese Aliens and Borders Authority SEF, accessed on September 7, 2019
  3. ↑ Portuguese website on Portuguese-Singaporean migration , accessed September 7, 2019
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Bilateral economic relations between Portugal and Singapore , Excel file retrieval from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP, accessed on September 7, 2019
  5. ↑ Press release of August 30, 2007 by the Singapore Department of Foreign Affairs, accessed September 8, 2019
  6. ↑ Press release of February 9, 2009 by the Singapore Department of Foreign Affairs, accessed September 8, 2019
  7. ↑ Press release of May 27, 2012 by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed September 8, 2019
  8. ↑ Press release of May 3, 2014 by the Singapore Department of Foreign Affairs, accessed September 8, 2019
  9. ↑ Press release of June 20, 2017 by the Singapore Department of Foreign Affairs, accessed September 8, 2019
  10. ↑ Overview of the Portuguese contact points in Antigua and Barbuda on the Internet portal of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry for Portuguese communities abroad, accessed on September 7, 2019
  11. ↑ Portugal in the list of Singapore's diplomatic missions abroad, Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed on September 8, 2019