Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Visit to Beijing, 9 September 2024

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan called on Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau (PSC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee today. Secretary Cai and Minister Balakrishnan reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations and the "All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership" between their countries. They looked forward to commemorating the upcoming 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025.

Minister Balakrishnan met and was hosted to lunch by Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. The Ministers took stock of bilateral cooperation across wide-ranging areas. This includes collaboration in both traditional areas as well as new and emerging areas such as the digital and green economies. The three Government-to-Government projects established by Singapore and China have continued to progress well. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the flagship Suzhou Industrial Park, and the Tianjin Eco-City continues to be a model for sustainable cities. The Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) will also mark its 10th anniversary next year, with the CCI-New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor fostering greater connectivity between Western China and Southeast Asia. This year, Singapore will also convene the 20th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting, which will be co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and PSC Member and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.

Both Ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments. They emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. They also reaffirmed their commitment to promoting free and open trade and upholding the rules-based multilateral order that has underpinned the growth of the global economy.

Minister Balakrishnan also met Minister of the CPC Central Committee Social Work Department Wu Hansheng. They had a good discussion on citizen engagement initiatives, as well as efforts to promote cohesion and resilience in their respective societies.

Minister Balakrishnan met and was hosted to dinner by Minister of the International Department of the CPC Liu Jianchao. They reaffirmed the close friendship between Singapore and China across successive generations, and welcomed efforts to strengthen ties through frequent government-to-government, people-to-people, and party-to-party exchanges. Such extensive interactions have played an important role in building trust and forging mutual understanding between both countries. The Ministers also had a productive discussion on a wide range of regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Minister Balakrishnan said, "Singapore and China will be celebrating many milestones in bilateral relations this year. We look forward to further high-level exchanges next year to mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties. This visit has continued the good momentum of our bilateral cooperation and exchanges, which both sides have committed to at the highest levels."

Minister Balakrishnan was accompanied by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Development, Sim Ann and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

9 SEPTEMBER 2024

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