Riyaz ul Khaliq
04 May 2026•Update: 04 May 2026
Singapore and New Zealand on Monday signed an Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES) amid the impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict on energy supplies.
The pact was signed during a meeting in Singapore between Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his counterpart from New Zealand, Christopher Luxon, according to an official statement.
The new framework guarantees that neither country will impose export restrictions on the other, formalizes practical cooperation on supply chain resilience, and protects the movement of essential goods such as fuel and food.
“The past few months have shown we live in a volatile world – Kiwis are seeing that every time they fill up their car. That is why we are hustling in the world to protect New Zealand and build our resilience in uncertain times,” said Luxon.
The agreement “is a demonstration of New Zealand and Singapore working together as trusted partners. In times of crisis, we know we can rely on each other,” he added.
The US-Israeli war with Iran has dried up energy supplies from the Middle East to most Asian nations.
Wong said Singapore’s partnership with New Zealand “stands out because of our shared strategic perspectives as small, open economies and the deep trust we have built.”
“We are prepared to pioneer new approaches together and stand by each other, especially when it matters the most. We’ve done that today, with AOTES – a first-of-its-kind arrangement to safeguard the flow of essential goods during disruptions,” Wong said in a brief statement through US social media company X.
The two nations established diplomatic ties in 1965 and upgraded ties to an “Enhanced Partnership” in 2019, and the bilateral trade volume climbed to around $6.5 last year.