APIA, Samoa – At a time when countries are pulling apart, groupings like the Commonwealth are one way for Singapore to strengthen its links with other nations, add value and maintain its relevance.

       This is why Singapore continues to see the value in participating actively not just with the Commonwealth as a group, but also individually with the other 55 member states that make up the association, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Oct 26.

       Such links are important for Singapore given how open and vulnerable it is, which is why the Republic is keen to make more friends and find new ways of working together, PM Wong told reporters at the conclusion of his visit to Samoa.

       “In this new global environment, which can become more inhospitable for countries like us, open economies like us, I think we want to redouble our efforts, to strengthen our links with countries everywhere,” he said.

       He acknowledged the grouping’s uniqueness, consisting as it does of 56 member states across six continents, each at a different stage of development. In comparison, groupings like Asean are defined geographically, while the United Nations covers all the countries in the world.

       The Commonwealth is somewhere in between on this spectrum. Amid its diversity, it possesses certain advantages derived from a common heritage, such as the use of the English language and similar legal systems, said PM Wong.

       Despite the other Commonwealth countries being at different levels of development, Singapore can learn from all of them, added PM Wong, who arrived in Samoa on Oct 23 for his first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).

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       One key area is climate change. Given that extreme weather and rising sea levels are a “wipe-out risk” for a number of Pacific and Caribbean member states, PM Wong noted that many of them are pressing forward on things like carbon mitigation, carbon capture, new renewable energies and green hydrogen.

       “These are areas where we can exchange notes, even learn from some of their best practices and also find new areas for cooperation. So that’s just one example,” he said.

       Within the Commonwealth, apart from exchanging best practices and supporting the states at risk, there has been some attempt to mobilise funds towards climate action, added PM Wong.

       He also pointed to the Commonwealth Ocean Declaration launched at the end of the Chogm meeting, where member countries committed themselves to preserving and protecting the oceans, and to cooperating around the blue economy.

       During the Chogm discussions, various leaders spoke about ways to use the grouping’s commonality to strengthen their countries’ links, such as in trade and investment and ease of doing business, to emerge as a stronger bloc of countries.

       PM Wong said there is a lot of benefit in doing so, and Singapore will certainly support the grouping’s efforts to find new ways of working together and enhancing links.

       The summit was also an opportunity for him to spend “a lot of time” engaging Pacific island, Caribbean and African countries, he added. He had earlier held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Guyana, Papua New Guinea, Samoa as well as Trinidad and Tobago.

       “We may not have regular interactions, but meeting them here at the Commonwealth, we are able to engage them and find opportunities to do more together,” said PM Wong.

       PM Wong noted that Singapore’s ties with Samoa are warm and friendly, as they are with many Pacific island states, although both sides want to do more together. From his discussions, many of them admire Singapore and see it as a model, he added.

       One concrete way that Singapore is working with these countries is through the Pacific Islands Forum, with which it is a dialogue partner.

       The Republic provides a package of capacity building measures to these states called the Singapore-Pacific Resilience and Knowledge Sharing Package, which includes courses on climate resilience, cyber security and international law.

       He said: “I told all of them that... we are more than happy to share our experiences, to customise programmes for them which will be useful for their own developmental needs, and to help them develop and grow as we have succeeded.”

       Earlier on Oct 26, PM Wong met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was also attending his first Chogm since taking office on July 5.

       In a Facebook post, PM Wong said the two countries share longstanding close ties, as well as a strategic partnership covering many key areas – defence, sustainability, research and technology, among others.

       “Look forward to working together to advance our bilateral ties, and strengthen cooperation through the Commonwealth,” he added.