Joint statement by France's Minister of State Cedric O and Singapore's Minister S Iswaran

23 NOV 2020

  1. Mr S Iswaran, Minister for Communications and Information of the Republic of Singapore, and Mr Cédric O, Minister of State for the Digital Transition and Electronic Communication of the French Republic, held a videoconference on 23 November 2020.

  2. The Ministers affirmed the partnership in digital affairs between our two countries, which has only grown stronger since the adoption of the France-Singapore Joint Roadmap for Deepening Cooperation in Digital Innovation, Internet Governance and Cybersecurity by President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in July 2018.

  3. The current public health crisis, which has accelerated digitalisation, attests to the relevance of this cooperation. In working towards post-pandemic recovery, Singapore and France are committed to investing in new technologies and to promote trust and security in cyberspace. The two Ministers have therefore agreed to continue the dialogue on stimulating the development of the digital economy and exchanges between our two countries.

  4. In furtherance of the dialogue, the two Ministers also adopted a roadmap for deepening cooperation in artificial intelligence. France and Singapore agree that artificial intelligence technologies have the potential to transform our societies radically and must be developed for the common good. Our two countries therefore decided to reinforce their scientific and research partnership, to share good practices on the use of these technologies by the business community, and to promote a global governance of artificial intelligence as founding members of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence.

  5. Lastly, the two Ministers welcomed the organisation of the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) x Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SWITCH) 2020 (7-11 December) and France’s participation, highlighting Singapore’s attractiveness as a Fintech, Innovation, and Startup hub and the vitality of the French tech ecosystem.