September 10, 2024
BEIJING – Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met top Chinese officials on Sept 9 during a two-day official visit to Beijing, with both sides outlining hopes for a further deepening of the relationship.
He met Mr Cai Qi, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Secretariat and the fifth-ranked leader in the party, as well as China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.
In an Instagram post, Dr Balakrishnan said he discussed with Mr Cai the “excellent progress” in bilateral relations since ties were upgraded in April 2023, when then PM Lee Hsien Loong met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
“We are committed to deepening our relationship further, and encouraging more exchanges between our leaders, officials and peoples,” he said.
He conveyed to Mr Xi and Premier Li Qiang well wishes from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
At their meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Mr Cai told Dr Balakrishnan that Singapore and China have maintained high-level exchanges in recent years. Mr Xi has met Singapore leaders “many times” to plan for the development of the relationship, he said.
“China is willing to work with Singapore to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen all-round, high-quality and forward-looking cooperation, and continue to enrich the meaning of the relationship.”
Dr Balakrishnan, who was meeting Mr Cai for the first time, was accompanied by Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sim Ann and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials. He last visited China in February 2023.
During the meeting with Mr Wang, Dr Balakrishnan said the excellent ties between Singapore and China are a bright spot in a less predictable and more volatile world, and noted that 2025 will mark the 35th anniversary since diplomatic ties were established.
Singapore is looking forward to the visit by China’s Executive Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang to co-chair the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation – the apex annual meeting between the two countries – in Singapore later in 2024, Dr Balakrishnan said. The other co-chair is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong.
Dr Balakrishnan added in an Instagram post that both countries are keen to collaborate in emerging areas such as the digital and green economies, “which will unlock new growth opportunities and position Singaporean companies favourably in China’s vast markets”.
He acknowledged Mr Wang’s earlier remarks that Singapore “successfully completed a leadership transition” in May 2024. Mr Wong was sworn in as prime minister on May 15 after Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong stepped down following two decades in office.
Dr Balakrishnan said: “PM Lawrence Wong is committed – and I send you his greetings – to enhancing and deepening our relationship with China.”
Mr Wang, who welcomed Dr Balakrishnan as an “old friend”, said that the “current international situation is volatile, and our region is also faced with some causes of instability”.
“So China and Singapore, as two forces for stability, need to constantly strengthen our strategic coordination and communication,” he said at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
MFA said the three government-to-government projects established by Singapore and China, which include the Tianjin Eco-City, have continued to progress well. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first of the projects, the Suzhou Industrial Park, while the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative will mark its 10th anniversary in 2025.
Members of the People’s Action Party (PAP) were also in Beijing at the invitation of the CPC’s International Department. PAP MPs Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah and Edward Chia took part in the meetings.
The party exchange was the result of an agreement signed earlier in 2024 between Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Liu Jianchao, the Minister of the CPC’s International Department.
Mr Liu made an official visit to Singapore in March, where he met Singapore leaders, including then Deputy Prime Minister Wong.
Other members of the Singapore delegation included Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower, and Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, and Social and Family Development.
Dr Balakrishnan also met Mr Wu Hansheng, head of the CPC Central Committee’s Social Work Department, a new party organ formed in March 2023 to strengthen control over grassroots organisations and handle public complaints. In an Instagram post, he said Mr Wu shared insights on China’s civic engagement efforts. This was their first meeting.
Mr Wu said he was grateful for congratulatory letters from Singapore ministers Masagos Zulkifli and Edwin Tong when he was appointed in 2023. He added that in November, a vice-minister from his department will lead a delegation to Singapore to explain ideas on grassroots governance.
A PAP statement on Sept 9 said a 15-member delegation led by Mr Zaqy was sent to China – to Beijing and Anhui province – on a study visit. Delegation members include MPs Yeo Wan Ling and Yip Hon Weng, as well as PAP Eunos branch chairman Jagathishwaran Rajo and several branch secretaries.