New Zealand and Singapore Sign Landmark Deal to Protect Supply Chains

The agreement ensures that both countries do not impose unnecessary export restrictions on a list of essential items, including food and fuel.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks during a press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 25, 2025. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand and Singapore signed an agreement on May 4 to keep supply chains open in times of crisis, as global energy supplies remain disrupted by the Iran war.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his New Zealand counterpart, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, witnessed the signing of the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES), which the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs described in a statement as “the world’s first legally-binding bilateral supply chain resilience agreement.”