News: The Business Times -  4 February 2010


S'pore, Bahrain face similar issues
SM Goh, Bahrain king mull link-ups in renewable energy, water resources
By TEH SHI NING IN BAHRAIN


SINGAPORE and Bahrain face similar challenges and can learn much from each other, says Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

In Bahrain's capital of Manama, Mr Goh yesterday called on the kingdom's top leaders - King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad and Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa.

'Singapore and Bahrain are in a good position to help each other gain a better understanding of our respective regions,' Mr Goh said in an interview published yesterday in Bahrain newspaper Al-Ayam.

Both need to look beyond the limits of their small domestic markets to regional and international ones, he said.

Bahrain's King Hamad shared Mr Goh's view, describing Singapore and Bahrain as 'brotherly states, with the same ideas and aspirations', according to a statement issued by Mr Goh's press secretary.

During their meeting, Mr Goh and the king discussed possible cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and water resources and exchanged views on the global financial crisis and recent developments in both countries.

At his meetings with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mr Goh and the Bahraini leaders further reaffirmed the closeness of ties between the two island-states.

Links between Arab countries and Asia will strengthen as the two regions are 'fast becoming indispensable partners', said Mr Goh in the Al-Ayam interview. 'I am confident that the GCC countries will emerge from the economic crisis stronger and I will be encouraging more Singaporean companies to venture into the region.'

At a separate session yesterday with the chief executives of Bahrain's Economic Development Board and government investment agency Mumtalakat, Mr Goh also raised the possibility of Bahrain companies cooperating with Temasek Holdings unit SingBridge International on projects in China.

SingBridge is developing the Tianjin Eco-city and Guangzhou Knowledge City projects with Chinese partners.

This potential for Singapore and Bahrain to serve as regional gateways for each other was also raised in Mr Goh's interview with Al-Ayam.

Singapore companies such as the Ascott Group have already been using Bahrain as a base for regional expansion, Mr Goh said, encouraging more Bahrain companies to consider using Singapore to expand into Asia.

Mr Goh's six-day official visit to Oman and Bahrain ends tonight, when he is scheduled to return to Singapore.

- end of BT article