Singapore and Malaysia sign an agreement to establish a special economic zone in Johor.Passport-free access to land checkpoints is being considered

JOHOR BARU: People traveling between Singapore and Johor will soon be able to enjoy passport-free customs clearance on both sides of the border, and cargo clearance at land-based checkpoints may also be digitized. I don’t know.

These are among the “early initiatives” being considered for the new Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which aims to strengthen cross-border economic links between Singapore and Malaysia. is.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the two countries on Thursday (January 11) to develop a framework for a legally binding agreement on SEZs.

The MoU was signed in Johor Bahru by Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong and Malaysia’s Economy Minister Mohd Rafizi Ramli.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim witnessed the signing.

According to Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), under the memorandum, the two countries will “build” towards an SEZ, including faster removal of people at land checkpoints and fostering renewable energy cooperation between Malaysia and Singapore. Malaysia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Malaysian Ministry of Economy.

In a joint statement, the two ministries said the MoU, signed two months after the 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat in October last year, “reaffirms the two countries’ long-standing ties and joint commitment to strengthening economic cooperation.” I will,” he added.

The two sides also agreed to work towards a full-fledged agreement on the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and provide an update at the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat to be held in Malaysia this year.

Both countries first announced at the 16th Malaysia-Singapore Joint Iskandar Malaysia Ministerial Committee in July 2023 that they would establish a task force to consider establishing a special economic zone.

Three months later, at a Singapore-Malaysia leadership retreat in Singapore, Mr Lee described the proposed SEZ as a “substantive and promising project”, particularly for people working on both sides of the causeway. This should lead to smoother movement of people. He is one of the busiest border crossings in the world.