SM Lee meets Xi Jinping in Beijing, reaffirm close ties, commitment to free & open international trade

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Nov. 26, 2024, where he was hosted to dinner.

SM Lee is visiting China from Nov. 24 to Nov. 29 on a trip that also included commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP).

All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership

SM Lee and Xi reaffirmed the “excellent state of bilateral relations", which was upgraded to an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership” when the pair last met in March 2023.

In a social media post about the meeting, SM Lee said that he was "delighted" to meet with Xi again.

He also said that Singapore and China had a "strong friendship rooted in mutual trust and understanding", something that he was confident that Singapore's 4G leadership would continue, working well with Chinese leaders to "expand bilateral cooperation" as well as pursue new collaborations.

Satisfactory trajectory

Both men expressed their satisfaction with the trajectory of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to both countries pursuing new collaborations that are in line with the forward-looking nature of Singapore-China relations.

In light of the SIP’s 30th anniversary, SM Lee highlighted that Singapore remained invested in China’s long-term development, and both men agreed to explore ways to further deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

https://mothership.sg/2024/11/suzhou-industrial-park-is-a-win-win-cooperation

They also spoke about regional and international developments, with Xi updating SM Lee on China’s domestic and external priorities.

SM Lee expressed confidence in China’s long-term development, which he had also done at a SIP anniversary speech delivered earlier in the trip.

Free and open international trading system

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, but also the key role of a free and open international trading system for the development of both countries and the global economy.

The commitment to global free trade is hardly new for either country; Singapore is a regular champion of trade, but it is particularly pertinent as the United States prepares for the second Donald Trump presidency.

Trump is famously trade-hostile, no matter what his incoming treasury secretary might think, and during the first Trump administration, it was often China that was seen to take up the role of a promoter of global trade, something traditionally done by the U.S.

2025 will mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and the People’s Republic of China, and both SM Lee and Xi said they looked forward to commemorating the event.

Governing philosophies

SM Lee also met with the Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Wang Huning.

Wang is also a member of China’s Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top governing body.

Similar to Xi, SM Lee had also met with Wang during his previous March 2023 China trip, and he noted that bilateral cooperation had further deepened since then, with both sides working on expanding the scope of collaboration.

Wang is an academic and political theorist by profession and is considered one of the most influential ideological advisors within China’s communist party in decades, according to an October 2024 profile by the New York Times.

SM Lee and Wang affirmed close bilateral ties between the two countries and exchanged views on both countries governing philosophies.

SM Lee will continue to the next leg of his China visit with a trip to Shanghai on Nov. 27, before returning to Singapore on Nov. 29.

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Top image via Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI)