Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany will join the GUIDE Initiative to protect critical undersea infrastructure, as he and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong set a wider agenda for bilateral cooperation, Anadolu Ajansı reported Tuesday.
Merz described the work plan as a framework for cooperation over multiple years. At a joint news conference, he said Berlin and Singapore were concluding new cybersecurity agreements. He described their submarine cooperation as longstanding and said he wanted deeper collaboration with Singapore on resilience and critical infrastructure.
The GUIDE Initiative is a voluntary framework introduced in Singapore in May. More than a dozen countries had joined by the time of the report, including Australia, the Philippines, France and the United Kingdom, Anadolu Ajansı reported. Wong said the initiative’s work across regions matters because undersea links support security and connectivity.
Wong separately pointed to the digital economy and AI, as well as research in advanced manufacturing, green technology, semiconductors, quantum technology and space. He also called for stronger regional ties and support for the international rules-based order.
Merz said talks included global conflicts, political shifts and support for Ukraine. He thanked Singapore for agreeing to and implementing sanctions against Russia, saying they were intended to prompt a change in Moscow’s approach and bring the fighting to an end.
Singapore is the opening stop on Merz’s Asia tour; Japan and South Korea are also on the itinerary through Oct. 30, as EconoTimes reported earlier.
