Royal Embassy of Belgium

October 10th 2016 marked the fiftieth anniversary of bilateral relations between Belgium and Singapore. On this occasion, a platform was launched where Belgian accomplishments on the island-state are showcased. Please have a look: www.50yearsbe.sg

On 15th March, Belgian companies participated in the International Furniture Fair Singapore. The companies showed their design in decorative items, carpets, home textiles and interior lighting, demonstrating Belgian excellence in contemporary design.

March – Francophonie Month
Traditionally March is also the month of the Francophonie: Alliance Française, together with embassies from French-speaking countries in Singapore, hosted the Francophonie Festival. Belgium’s 50th anniversary of bilateral relations with Singapore was the occasion to be “FOCUS COUNTRY”. We screened the feature movie by Joachim Lafosse “After Love / L’économie du couple” and famous singer, Axelle Red, played two acoustic concerts in Singapore.

The following month, 10 Belgian companies participated in the Medlab Fair to highlight their solutions in the field of life sciences. The life sciences and medtech domains represent 23% of Wallonia’s total exports, making it the region’s number one sector. Wallonia is one of Belgium’s three regions.

May brings the annual European Union Film Festival, Singapore’s longest running foreign film festival. This year’s edition took place in an iconic setting: the National Gallery. Belgium presented “Problemski Hotel”: a movie inspired by the novel of acclaimed Flemish author Dimitri Verhulst about the journey of 2 migrants.

In the same month, 15 Belgian start-ups visited Singapore to explore the bustling startup ecosystem in the city-state. On this occasion, the embassy hosted a networking reception for the start-ups to meet possible investors and other stakeholders.

On July 21st, we celebrated our National Day at the residence. It was also a farewell reception for Ambassador Cockx after four years in Singapore.

Ambassador Detaille arrived at the end of July with his family from Kuwait. He had the honour to present his credentials to President, Tony Tan Keng Yam, at the end of August.

In September, the Belgian technology company IMEC hosted its first event in Singapore: IMEC Technology Forum 2017 Southeast Asia. Guest of Honour, Mr Low Teck Seng, CEO of the National Research Foundation, shared insights on Singapore’s approach towards new technologies and Mr Luc Van den Hove, CEO of IMEC, did the same for Belgium. Belgian students in Singapore and Singaporean alumni of Belgian universities were invited to participate in the Forum.

Royal Belgian Caviar Launch
After the refurbishing of the kitchen of the Residence of the Ambassador, everything was ready for the official launch of Royal Belgian Caviar in Singapore. The best chefs in town were invited to taste this Belgian delicacy


Katoen Natie, Belgium’s foremost supplier of logistics and distribution services, launched the first driverless truck in Singapore, in their facilities on Jurong Island, thus underscoring Belgian leadership in quality and innovation.

October was a busy month with several delegations in town. First, Belgian wealth manager Econopolis – together with a sizeable delegation of business people – explored Singapore on a fact-finding mission to study opportunities in the city-state and the wider ASEAN region. Second, a delegation of Belgian healthcare leaders visited Singapore to study the local healthcare system. Finally, Belgian TV paid a visit here as well, to make a documentary about the education system in Singapore.

In the same month, Katoen Natie, Belgium’s foremost supplier of logistics and distribution services, launched the first driverless truck in Singapore, in their facilities on Jurong Island, thus underscoring Belgian leadership in quality and innovation.

Finally, in November, our annual King’s Day reception was held at the Tower Club where more than 300 Belgian and Singaporean guests mingled over fine cuisine and Belgian beers. This would not have been possible without the generous support of logistics company Katoen Natie and dredging company DEME.

(Text and photos by Embassy of Belgium in Singapore)