Opening Remarks by Min(TR) Grace Fu at “Showcase celebration of 60-years: Singapore and the Netherlands” Event

Your Excellency Minister Dirk Beljaarts, Minister of Economic Affairs for the Netherlands;

Your Excellency Anneke Adema, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Singapore;  

Distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen. 

Opening Remarks

1. It is a pleasure to join you this afternoon at today’s showcase. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Dutch delegation visiting Singapore for Semicon Southeast Asia 2025. Earlier today, I had the pleasure of meeting Minister Beljaarts, where we reaffirmed the importance of our bilateral ties and discussed new opportunities to deepen our economic partnership.

2. I also have fond memories of meeting then-Queen of the Netherlands, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, during her State Visit to Singapore in 2013. It was a privilege to be the Minister-in-Attendance and to have accompanied Queen Beatrix for her last State Visit before her abdication. She was most gracious and kind, especially in her interactions with the school choir children who performed for her. Queen Beatrix was royal, yet most down-to-earth. Then-Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and then-Crown Princess Máxima were equally engaging, often bantering with us between ceremonies.

3. My personal encounter is surely one of many reflections of the 60 years of warm friendship between Singapore and the Netherlands – a milestone to commemorate our shared values and a commitment to open, rules-based trade. Our journey has been shaped by visionary individuals, including Dutch economist Dr Albert Winsemius. Dr Winsemius served as Singapore’s economic advisor for over two decades from the 1960s to the 1980s, was instrumental in our country’s early industrialisation and economic development.

4. Even before our independence, Dutch companies had established deep roots in Singapore. Shell began storing kerosene in Pulau Bukom as early as 1891, and opened Singapore’s first oil refinery in 1961. Philips started as a small trading firm with just four employees in 1951, before establishing its first manufacturing facilities in Boon Keng in 1968. These early investments reflect the long-standing trust and cooperation between our two countries.

5. Today, our economic partnership has grown in both scale and scope, leveraging on our respective strategic locations. Leading Dutch companies such as Heineken, FrieslandCampina, and DSM-Firmenich have established their regional headquarters in Singapore. In turn, Singaporean firms such as Olam, Keppel and Wilmar have set up operations in the Netherlands as a gateway into Europe. The Netherlands is now Singapore’s 2^nd largest EU investor, and 2^nd largest investment destination for Singapore within the EU.

6. Looking ahead, we are strengthening collaboration in sustainability, digitalisation, and innovation. Initiatives like the Singapore – Rotterdam Green and Digital Shipping Corridor, and the Global Innovation Alliance nodes in Amsterdam and Eindhoven, reflect our shared ambition to pioneer solutions in areas such as sustainable shipping, advanced manufacturing, and smart mobility. Water management, coastal protection and water infrastructure also remain an area of importance in our economic relations. The Netherlands’ strong presence at Semicon Southeast Asia, as well as the company showcases and MOU signings that we will witness later, are all testament to how our businesses continue to push the boundaries of innovation and co-develop next-generation solutions in key sectors such as semiconductors and emerging technologies.

7. Today’s event is symbolic of the dynamic partnership between Singapore and the Netherlands. I look forward to learning more about these exciting collaborations in the presentations ahead. Let us continue building on this strong foundation and forge a future-ready partnership for shared prosperity.

8. Thank you.