Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem said the state government would like to see more Singaporean investment in Sarawak in the near future.

He said Sarawak's economy has develop and expanded, as a result Sarawak has strong economy and is the third largest in Malaysia.

According to Adenan, the development of the Pan Borneo Highway in Sarawak and Sabah will be the catalyst to accelerate growth and development in the state as it covers the whole length and breadth of Sarawak, especially rural areas.

"I strongly believe that this project will help make Sarawak a competitive place to do business and of course we would like to see more investment from Singapore in the near future," he said during a dinner in conjunction with the 38th Malaysia-Singapore Public Service Games and 7th Joint Seminar Programme for Malaysia and Singapore Public Sector Leaders 2015 here, on Saturday.

Also present were Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, Chief Secretary to the government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, Singapore’s Civil Service chief Tan Sri Peter Ong, Public Service Malaysia director-general Tan Sri Mohamad Zabidi Zainal, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nasar and Sarawak State Secretary Tan Sri Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani.

Adenan said as neighbours who depend on each other in one way or another, continuous efforts are taken to ensure that the bond is always nurtured and strengthened.

He said the presence of Singapore at this year’s games and seminar, held for the first time outside Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, is a testimony to common efforts of building cordial bilateral relationships that lasts and mutually beneficial.

"We have differences in opinion sometimes but a strong bilateral cooperation is always the overriding objective on both sides but I believe we have more in common than differences," he said.

He said Sarawak has entered into various cooperation with Singapore in areas of business, investment and tourism and the state certainly welcomes more collaboration between both sides in the future.

According to him during the 6th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat last May, both Prime Ministers noted the good progress made in tourism collaboration and welcomed the ongoing discussions on the Sematan Riveria cruise project between the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and the Sarawak state government.

Adenan said he hoped this year’s Games and seminar held as parts of the programme will provide both sides with a platform to look into common ideas and principles for the benefits of both countries.

"We believe in the good neighbor and rich neighbor policies simply because friendship and cooperation are the bridges to lasting peace and prosperity. I wish to win big in the (state) election so that we can establish a better relation with Singapore," he said.