Australia, Singapore sign memorandum of understanding
Updated
Australia's prime minister has used his visit to Singapore to push for greater cooperation between Australia and Singapore's military.
Kevin Rudd and Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, have signed a new defence memorandum of understanding.
Mr Rudd has not outlined how it will change the relationship between the countries, saying only that it will intensify the already good ties.
"We on our side are more than committed to embracing a deeper and broader defence and security relationship with Singapore," he said.
"It's in good shape now, I will not criticise anything that's happened in the past.
"I think we can however make it deeper and broader into the future, that's in our interests and I think it's in Singapore's interests as well."
Rudd talks up Asia Pacific body
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has again pushed his idea of an Asia Pacific Community during his brief stop-over in Singapore.
But the prime minister has assured his hosts it will not be a union which would involve a standard currency and economic union similar to the European model.
Mr Rudd told his hosts that discussion on what he describes as regional architecture in the next 20 years needs to occur.
While leaving out what the union could involve he says it will certainly not be a political union or economic or monetary.
He says he is open to suggestions on the issue as it unfolds.
Rudd calls for more tertiary exchange programs
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has indicated he wants to reinvent the "Colombo plan" university scheme, that brought thousands of Asian students to study in Australia.
In a speech to a formal luncheon with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Kevin Rudd talked of the need to revisit tertiary education exchange throughout Southeast Asia.
He told the audience he saw it as in some creative way revisiting the aims of the Colombo plan. He said the plan built bridges between nations, which were rich and profound.
