Singapore and China reaffirm upgraded bilateral relations during Wang Yi's visit

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday (Aug 11) reaffirmed the two countries' "longstanding and substantive relations", which were upgraded in April.

The decision to elevate bilateral ties followed a meeting earlier this year between Mr Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said at the time that the upgraded partnership reflects the commitment by both sides to continually expand bilateral cooperation, as well as pursue new collaboration in forward-looking areas such as digital and green economies.

On Friday, Mr Lee and Mr Wang discussed how to expand and enhance collaboration that would benefit both countries and the region, MFA said in a press statement.

Mr Wang also updated Mr Lee on China's foreign policy priorities.

Mr Lee welcomed China's continued engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and looked forward to closer ASEAN-China cooperation, said MFA.

"Both sides affirmed the importance of building an open, peaceful and inclusive region," it added.

Mr Wang also called on Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.

"They took stock of the good progress in bilateral cooperation, anchored by our three government-to-government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing, and institutionalised platforms such as the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC)," MFA said.

This is the 15th anniversary of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City project and both sides seek to leverage the opportunity to refresh bilateral cooperation.

Mr Wong will visit China later this year to co-chair the 19th JCBC with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.

IN-PRINCIPLE SUPPORT FOR CHINA'S INTEREST TO JOIN CPTPP

Mr Wong also expressed in-principle support for China's interest to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) - a trade pact based around the Pacific rim.

The trading bloc was agreed in 2018 between 11 countries - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

The United Kingdom announced in July that it had formally signed a treaty to join the CPTPP, making it the European nation to join the bloc.

China submitted an application to join the partnership in September 2021.

This would require China to adhere to the CPTPP’s high-standard rules and comprehensive market access commitments, MFA noted.

"Its interest to join the partnership also has to be worked out between China and all CPTPP partners, on the basis of consensus," the ministry added. 

Mr Wong also welcomed China’s application to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), a pact between Singapore, Chile and New Zealand to facilitate digital trade and create a framework for the digital economy.

Mr Wang was hosted to dinner by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday, where they reaffirmed strong bilateral ties and reviewed the "multi-faceted cooperation" between both Singapore and China, said MFA. 

The ministry added that Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Wang also looked forward to working together to increase the flow of business and people between Singapore and China, as well as unlock new growth opportunities in emerging areas such as sustainable development and the digital economy.