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1.     Ladies and gentlemen of the media, thank you very much for joining us this afternoon.

2.     First, I want to thank Minister Anthony Loke and his entire team for hosting our visit today and for the very warm hospitality. It has been a very important opportunity for us to better understand the progress and to discuss ideas on mutual cooperation. Specifically, Mr Loke and I had wide ranging discussion, and we affirmed our commitment to strengthening our bilateral ties. Importantly, we also looked at how we can further enhance our transport connectivity through air, sea, and land initiatives, and in particular, of course, our Johor Bahru - Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link.

3.     Mr Loke and I just visited the RTS Link construction site for the marine viaduct piers on the Malaysian side and have been briefed on the progress of the works. The engineering teams on both sides have been working very hard to build up the marine viaduct, starting from the middle of the Straits of Johor.

4.     I am very happy to hear from our Malaysian counterparts - and as you have heard from Minister Loke - that works are on track to achieve timely completion on the Malaysian side. Works on the Singapore side of the RTS Link are progressing well and we have completed about 50% of civil construction works for both the overall railway infrastructure and marine viaduct. Based on the progress that have been achieved on both sides, we expect to be ready and on time for commencing passenger services by the end of 2026.

5.     The next significant milestone is when the drop-in span connecting both sides of the viaduct is completed. Both our Prime Ministers will be commemorating this event early next year.

6.     The RTS Link is an important bilateral project. It will help to alleviate the Causeway congestion and enhance connectivity between Singapore and Johor Bahru. More importantly, it will also strengthen ties between our two countries and our peoples.

7.     I want to thank and commend the teams from both sides who have been working very hard to ensure that the project remains on track and for the good work and progress that have been achieved to date. We look forward to working very closely with our Malaysian partners to make sure that this project is taken to fruition and for it to achieve its full potential. Thank you.