Amid the ongoing Iran war and the resultant supply chain crisis, Singapore and New Zealand have signed a trade agreement that ensures continued trade of essential goods, including fuel, medical supplies and construction-related products, between the countries.
The “Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies” was signed during New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s visit to the city-state, where he met his counterpart, Lawrence Wong. The terms of the pact, as per The Straits Times, were finalised during Wong’s visit to New Zealand in October 2025.
Regarding bilateral trade between Singapore and New Zealand, the latter sources about one-third of its fuel needs from the Southeast Asian country’s refineries, including diesel used in freight, farming and food production. In return, New Zealand supplies around 14% of Singapore’s food imports.
According to New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, dairy remains New Zealand’s largest export to Singapore, making up about 31.6% of total exports, alongside fruits and nuts, fats, oils, meat and edible offal.
The “Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies” also builds on the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” signed in October 2025, which expands cooperation in trade, security, innovation and supply chain resilience.
“Some initiatives under that framework are already underway, including the Singapore–New Zealand Leadership Forum held on 4 May, where officials urged businesses to strengthen regional partnerships,” reported The Straits Times.
“We have long seen the world in similar ways. We believe in openness and cooperation. Over the years, we have built a deep reservoir of trust. And we don’t just speak about principles; we act on them,” Wong said, stating that discussions with Luxon focused on expanding cooperation under the partnership, including defence and emerging technologies.
Both countries will continue mutual access to military training facilities, apart from deepening cooperation in emerging cutting-edge areas like unmanned systems.
Luxon said the deal exemplifies how like-minded countries can strengthen multilateral cooperation in a shifting global order.
“The agreement that we’ve just signed today, as a world first, is actually a good example of how we can model out and remake the case for multilateralism in the way we want to as well,” the New Zealand Prime Minister remarked.