His visit to the republic is at the invitation of his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong. The two leaders will sit together for the first time for a bilateral meeting, to be held at The Istana.

The aircraft carrying Mahathir and his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, landed at the VIP Complex of Changi Airport here at 8.40am.

The visit is part of Mahathir’s high-level introductory visits to Asean countries after being sworn in as the seventh prime minister of Malaysia in May.

Receiving him at the airport were Singapore National Development Minister Lawrence Wong and Singapore High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon.

A welcoming ceremony will be held for Mahathir at the Ceremonial Plaza at The Istana, after which he will pay a courtesy call on Singapore President Halimah Yacob.

Lee and his wife, Ho Ching, will host an official lunch for Mahathir and Siti Hasmah before attending the Asean Business Awards 2018 Gala Dinner at The Ritz Carlton.

Mahathir is also scheduled to meet the Malaysian diaspora in Singapore at Shangri La Hotel.

Mahathir is accompanied by Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali and International Trade and Industry Minister Darell Leiking, as well as senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and Wisma Putra.