Germany established diplomatic relations with Singapore in the year of its independence. In November 2022, the Heads of Government of the two countries adopted the declaration “Partners for a Resilient and Sustainable Future” which aims to further deepen cooperation in various fields.

Both states consider each other to be important economic partners and also gateways to the EU and the ASEAN region respectively. At the Asia-Pacific Conference held in Singapore in November 2022, the Economic Affairs Ministers of the two countries agreed within the scope of “Partners for a Resilient and Sustainable Future” to further expand economic cooperation, especially in the area of future technologies. Singapore hosts a number of trade fairs, at which German companies have a major presence.

A bilateral cultural agreement has been in place since 1990. Singapore is home to a branch of the Goethe-Institut and a German Academic Exchange Service Information Point. The first overseas campus of a German university – the Technical University of Munich (TUM) – was set up in Singapore in 2002 (TUM Asia), while Fraunhofer Singapore, the first Asian affiliate of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, opened in 2017. The German European School Singapore – the largest German school abroad in Asia – celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021/2022.