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Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong met with China’s Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 16.

All-Round High-Quality  Future-Orientated Partnership

Wong, who is also Singapore's Finance Minister, is on a five-day trip to China from May 13 to 17, 2023. It is his first visit to the country since he became DPM in June 2022.

Wong met with Li, and reaffirmed the "long-standing and strong Singapore-China relationship", according to a press release by Singapore's Prime Minister's Office.

That relationship was upgraded to an "All-Round High-Quality  Future-Orientated Partnership" in March 2023, when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited China and met with China's President Xi Jinping.

Both sides "took stock" of the comprehensive range and the growth of Singapore and China's bilateral relationship, especially on projects such as the three Government-to-Government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin, and Chongqing, as well as through institutionalised platforms such as the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC).

Wong and Li also exchanged views on how both sides could further enhance cooperation, especially in new areas such as digitalisation, energy and sustainability.

They also agreed on the need for more people-to-people exchanges, and the importance of restoring flight connectivity and facilitating people flows.

While China has allowed travellers to and from China after moving away from its Zero Covid pandemic policy, full travel links between Singapore and China have yet to be restored.

Flights between the two countries are a fraction of what they were pre-pandemic, and visa free travel has yet to be restored, resulting in long queues for visas to visit China in Singapore.

Apex platform

Wong also met with Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, who hosted him to dinner.

Wong and Ding reaffirmed the continued importance of the JCBC as the apex platform for overseeing and providing strategic directions to bilateral cooperation.

They also looked forward to co-chairing the 19th JCBC in China later in 2023.

The 18th edition of the JCBC was held in Singapore in November 2022, and was co-chaired by Ding's predecessor Han Zheng and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.

Wong and Ding spoke about the trade agreements involving both countries, particularly the Protocol of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Subsequent Negotiations, that was substantively concluded in April 2023, and will be signed later this year.

Wong also expressed in-principle support for China's interest to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which would require China to adhere to the CPTPP's "high-standard rules and comprehensive market access commitments".

China's membership would also have to be worked out "between China and all CPTPP members, on the basis of consensus".

China submitted its application to join the CPTPP in 2021, and in April 2023 China's vice commerce minister Wang Shouwen said that China was "ready and willing" to join the mega-regional trade deal.

Finance ministers meet

Wong also met with his Chinese counterpart Finance Minister Liu Kun, who hosted him to lunch.

Both reaffirmed the strong and longstanding partnership between the two countries' Finance Ministries and Central Banks, as well as noting the 10 year anniversary of RMB clearing in Singapore.

They also explored opportunities for Singapore and China to "enhance financial cooperation both bilaterally and at multilateral platforms such as ASEAN+3 and the G20".

Met PRC Finance Minister Liu Kun in-person today. There is strong financial cooperation between our ministries of finance & central banks. Look forward to doing more bilaterally, & working with China on regional cooperation mechanisms in ASEAN+3 & other regional & int'l platforms pic.twitter.com/BqSoBQ6BoF

— Lawrence Wong (@LawrenceWongST) May 16, 2023

Asean +3 refers to the Southeast Asian regional bloc and the Northeast Asian economies of China, Japan, and South Korea.

Official trip to China

Wong kicked off his trip in Shanghai on May 13, where he visited Ant Group and attended a reception with Singaporeans residing in the city.

Wong then met with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining and Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng.

They underscored the “excellent relationship” between Singapore and Shanghai, while noting that both cities, as “major hubs in the region”, can learn from each other in various aspects.

“I hope that the Singapore and Shanghai cooperation can be a catalyst and pathfinder for new and innovative projects between our two countries,” said Wong in his post.

He will be returning to Singapore tomorrow, May 17, but not before meeting Minister of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Organisation Department Li Ganjie.

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Top image via Top image via Ministry of Communications and Information