Singapore, China leaders exchange congratulatory messages on 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties

SINGAPORE: Singapore and China's leaders exchanged congratulatory messages on Friday (Oct 3) to commemorate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 

The Republic of Singapore and the People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations on Oct 3, 1990.

In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam hailed the "close and wide-ranging partnership" enjoyed today, thanks to the efforts of pioneer leaders of both countries, particularly Lee Kuan Yew and Deng Xiaoping in the 1970s.

Mr Tharman noted the upgrading of bilateral relations to an "All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership".

"Our Government-to-Government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin, and Chongqing, as well as our state-level bilateral cooperation project in Guangzhou, continue to progress, develop new features, and remain forward-looking," he said.

He added that the two countries have expanded their cooperation into new areas like digital and green economies, food security, and deepening financial cooperation. Citizens of both nations have also strengthened ties through study, business, tourism, and cultural exchanges.

Mr Tharman said he is confident that Singapore and China will continue to work together to bring bilateral relations to even greater heights.

"Please accept my best wishes, and I look forward to meeting you soon," he said.

According to Chinese foreign ministry, in his letter to Mr Tharman, Mr Xi said China and Singapore are good and close neighbours as well as important cooperation partners. 

Mr Xi added that over the past 35 years, the two nations have upheld mutual respect, trust and win-win cooperation, continuously improved relations and achieved fruitful outcomes in various fields. Both countries have advanced together in their modernisation, delivering tangible benefits to their citizens.

He said China is willing to take this 35th anniversary as an opportunity to deepen political mutual trust, promote high-level cooperation, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges and jointly uphold the multilateral trading system and fundamental norms governing international relations.

Mr Xi added that these efforts would strengthen the all-rounded, high-quality, forward-looking partnership between China and Singapore, contributing more to peace and prosperity in the region and the world.

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the relationship between Singapore and China has deepened over the years, rooted in a willingness to understand each other’s perspectives, as well as the building of mutual trust through decades of mutually beneficial cooperation. 

"Our three high-level bilateral platforms, namely, the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, the Singapore-China Forum on Leadership and the Social Governance Forum, also continue to be important mechanisms for successive generations of leaders and officials to exchange ideas and identify new areas of collaboration," he said in a letter to Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

"As we celebrate 35 years of relations, I look forward to working closely with you to advance cooperation in emerging areas like the digital and green economies, finance and clean and renewable energy. We can also explore ways to support the development of our region and address common challenges like climate change."

Mr Wong noted that both countries share a commitment to support free trade and uphold a rules-based multilateral system, including through platforms like the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

He also called for the implementation of the upgraded China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to be expedited.

"I look forward to deepening our cooperation at regional and multilateral fora to turn shared challenges into new opportunities," said Mr Wong. 

"I wish you and the people of China all the best, and I hope to receive you in Singapore soon."

China's foreign ministry said that in his letter to Mr Wong, Premier Li said China is ready to further strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Singapore and deepen high-level cooperation across various fields.

China is also ready to work with Singapore to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system to support the development of both countries and promote regional prosperity and stability.

The call to uphold the two countries' commitment to maintain a rules-based international order was also echoed by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong in a letter to Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.

"Amid an increasingly uncertain world, it is important that we continue to strengthen our cooperation, both bilaterally and in regional and international forums," said Mr Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry.

He said he looked forward to meeting Mr Ding and his delegation at the upcoming Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting in Chongqing later this year.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishan said in a letter to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that he was confident the two countries can take their ties to greater heights in the years ahead.

"Given our shared interests in supporting free trade, multilateralism, and a rules-based international order, there is more that we can do together to benefit our peoples and the broader region," said Dr Balakrishan.