Malaysia and Singapore postpone special economic zone deal to January as Singapore Prime Minister Wong contracts Covid-19

SINGAPORE: Malaysia and Singapore have postponed the signing ceremony for a Johor special economic zone agreement until January, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on Wednesday (Dec 4). The delay comes after Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong tested positive for Covid-19, according to Bloomberg.

Mr Anwar confirmed the news on Wednesday at the Senate in Kuala Lumpur, explaining that Mr Wong had informed him the night before that he had contracted Covid and that they needed to postpone the signing to January.

 “He does not want to pass the infection to me and my wife,” Mr Anwar said of Mr Wong.

Malaysia and Singapore signed a memorandum in January this year to develop the special economic zone to allow the free flow of goods and people between Johor and Singapore. The signing of the deal has now been delayed twice.

Discussions about the economic zone have been ongoing for over a year. Johor officials hoped it could replicate the growth of China’s Shenzhen, which thrived over the last 30 years due to its location near Hong Kong.

The agreement was initially set for September, then pushed to November, and later planned for the annual leaders’ retreat on Dec 9. /TISG

Read also: Johor’s Shenzhentrification: Can Malaysia really mirror Shenzhen’s success?

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