BERLIN: There is growing interest among German companies to expand into Asean, and use Singapore as a gateway to the region, says Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Lawrence Wong.

       He had met several key German industry leaders over dinner on Monday, as part of his visit to Germany.

       In a Facebook post, DPM Wong noted that there are already more than 2,300 Germany companies in Singapore.

       “We welcome the growing German presence and look forward to doing more together as partners,” he said.

       He also called on German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Monday. The two leaders last met in Singapore in 2022.

       “We had a good exchange of views on how Singapore and Germany can navigate an increasingly complex world, as like-minded countries seeking to strengthen multi-lateralism and a rules-based world order,” DPM Wong said.

       Yesterday, DPM Wong called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, met Finance Minister Christian Lindner and had lunch with Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck. He also attended a reception with overseas Singaporeans in Berlin.

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       DPM Wong, who is also finance minister, is on his first official visit to Europe in his current capacity.

       He is in Berlin until today, and will visit France from April 10-13. The visits will build upon Singapore’s warm, longstanding and multi-faceted ties with both countries.

       German leaders have visited Singapore in recent years, with Steinmeier making a state visit in 2017 and a working visit in June 2022.

       Scholz was in Singapore for an official visit in November 2022, during which he and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong issued a joint declaration titled “Partners for a Resilient and Sustainable Future.”

       Germany is Singapore’s largest European Union trading partner, and total bilateral trade in goods and services exceeded S$37bil in 2023. — The Straits Times/ANN