Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's trip to Beijing, China kicked off on Dec. 6 with a round of meetings with key Chinese leaders.

Wong is in China to co-chair the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the apex-level platform reviewing the relations between Singapore and China.

He was invited by Ding Xuexiang, vice premier of China's state council. Wong will co-chair the JCBC with Ding.

Wong and Li Qiang

On Dec. 6, Wong met with Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council.

The pair reaffirmed the multi-faceted and close ties between Singapore and China, as well as "substantive progress" made in bilateral cooperation, following the upgrade of relations to an All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership in March 2023.

While neither Wong nor Li are the leaders of their respective countries, they are arguably in similar positions. Wong was recently confirmed to take over the reins of the PAP from PM Lee before the next general election, which must be held by Nov. 2025.

Meanwhile, Xi Jinping ally Li was appointed as Premier in March 2023, (possibly) making him the second most powerful man in China.

Developing ties

Wong and Li "expressed satisfaction" with the strong momentum of high-level exchanges between both sides, as well as successfully convening bilateral institutionalised platforms, like the Singapore-China Forum on Leadership and the Singapore-China Legal and Judicial Roundtable.

The two men agreed that both sides should keep up efforts to advance mutually beneficial cooperation, foster closer people-to-people bonds and more business linkages.

They discussed opportunities for bilateral cooperation on the digital economy, renewable and clean energy, and other emerging areas, and exchanged views on regional and global developments.

"Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture," the PMO statement said.

Wong and He Lifeng

Wong also met with He Lifeng, another vice premier of the State Council, who was appointed at the same time as Li Qiang.

They welcomed positive growth in economic and trade links between Singapore and China, and discussed ways to further widen the scope of bilateral cooperation, including in the financial sector, such as initiatives to strengthen market connectivity and linkages.

"This will benefit companies in both countries, strengthen our respective economies, and deepen trade and financial flows between China and Singapore and the wider region," added the statement.

Top image from Lawrence Wong's Facebook page.