Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has embarked on a three-day official visit to China from Sept. 19 to 21.

On Sept. 19, he met his counterpart Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing. The meeting was preceded by a welcome ceremony and the Singapore delegation were hosted to a welcome banquet by Premier Li.

PM Lee's visit was only announced four days before his trip, giving rise to the impression of special treatment being accorded to him, especially when it is taking place less than a month before the important 19th Party Congress.

The reception to the news of his visit in the Chinese media so far has been largely positive.

We have summarised and translated two commentaries from China's state media below, to give you a taste of how the official channels viewed this visit.

Xinhua commentary: China, Singapore to tap potential for greater cooperation

Likely to be targeting audience beyond China, the English commentary published by the official state news agency on Sept. 19, ahead of PM Lee's visit to China, hailed the close ties between China and Singapore, noting that both countries have "a long tradition of close co-operation... and will find opportunities to upgrade their relationship, which will benefit the region and beyond".

In what may be a signal of the warming of ties, the conclusion of the commentary predicted "much more to come" for cooperation between the two countries, citing both countries' support for free trade and Singapore's role as the president of ASEAN next year.

Here are some extracts from the commentary:

"With such a long tradition of close cooperation, China and Singapore have been sharing common interests, have gained rich experience, and will find opportunities to upgrade their relationship, which will benefit the region and beyond.

For example, both China and Singapore are supporting free trade against the backdrop of rising anti-globalisation in parts of the world. The two are negotiating to upgrade the free trade area agreement, which, at this moment, is more critical than ever.

Moreover, Singapore will become the rotating president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year. If it can act as a coordinator between China and ASEAN, the two sides will have a chance to upgrade their partnership to a higher level and promote regional development.

Looking ahead, for China and Singapore, there is much more to come."

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Global Times editorial: Lee Hsien Loong makes sudden visit to China, optimism recovered in Sino-Singapore relations

Speaking to a more domestic audience, the Chinese commentary published on Sept. 19 by the nationalist tabloid predictably took a more forceful tone, describing bilateral ties since 2016 as the "worst ever period in history".

It also interpreted PM Lee's visit to China on short notice as a sign that Singapore "intends to adjust its posture towards China, and to repair its gap-riddled balance between China and the United States."

Despite the slightly sarcastic tone, the posture in the editorial was conciliatory.

"Actually China should not expect that it can completely pull Singapore to its side in the short term. For a long time in the future, Singapore will still have to rely mainly on the US politically and for security, its identity as a US ally will not change. However, as long as Singapore accepts US's protection, and play the generic and moderate role as US's outpost in the region around the Straits of Malacca, and not create trouble for China in ASEAN on behalf of them, there is a need for China to accommodate it, and develop friendly cooperation.

Although Singapore is a small country with a small population, it is very influential in ASEAN and is often regarded as an important voice in it. Objectively speaking, good relations between China and Singapore is not a sign of Beijing's acquiescence to Singapore, but something that is mutually beneficial.

Beijing of course has many levers it can use, and in the last two years, some of them have proven to be effective, leaving a deep impression in Singapore. However, displaying such levers is not something that Beijing takes lightly. Resuming friendly cooperation with Singapore based on rules is actually in the greater interests of China. China's foreign policy approach does not have an item on 'bearing grudges'."

Like the Xinhua commentary above, the conclusion pointed towards a brighter future for bilateral cooperation and grounds for optimism:

"Recalibrating its balance between China and the US seems to be Singapore's foreign policy intent, but Singapore's understanding of 'balance' may still not be the same as other ASEAN countries. China has made clear its bottom line, but at the same time, we also have our magnanimous side. Singapore is a small prideful country deserving respect, overall speaking, it has played a positive role in China's decades of reform and opening up. Despite some ups and downs in the last two years, the general trend for bilateral ties in the years ahead bodes well for people to be optimistic. "

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