PM Wong, Chinese Premier Li Qiang witness signing of S’pore-China training programme for Asean govt officials

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Chinese Premier Li Qiang witnessed the signing a letter of intent to develop a third country training programme for government officials from Asean member states and Timor-Leste.

According to an MFA press statement, the signing took place on Jun. 23, after PM Wong’s meeting with Li as part of his first official state visit to China as Singapore’s Prime Minister.

On X, he said that the joint training programme, which is to be under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China’s International Development Cooperation Agency, aimed to “support regional capacity building”.

“This year marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China – a good moment to take stock of how far we’ve come,” noted PM Wong, adding that the two nations are expanding cooperation in areas such as the digital and green economy.

Four deliverables signed

Other than the training programme, Singapore and China also signed three other agreements, all related to the exchange of knowledge and talent.

They include a memorandum of understanding, where selected trainees from Singapore and China’s law ministry can attend related programmes from each other’s institutions, as well as a data exchange agreement between both nations’ intellectual property offices and an LOI for a senior officials’ exchange programme.

Cooperation and multilateralism

“We had a candid exchange on global issues and reaffirmed our commitment to cooperation and multilateralism,” said PM Wong on X.

According to the MFA, both leaders will look forward to signing Version 3.0 of the Asean-China Free Trade Area pact later this year.

It will be an upgrade to an agreement that, thus far, eliminates tariffs for 94.6 per cent of Singapore’s exports to China, amongst other safeguards for Asean-China trade.

The leaders also noted he launch of the Singapore-China over-the-counter bond market arrangement, under which selected Singapore-based banks can offer trading and custody services for onshore RMB bonds.

Additionally, Chinese media outlet Xinhua reported that Li said China is ready to expand cooperation with Singapore through a series of bilateral projects.

This will include the implementation of their joint plan under the Belt and Road Initiative – China’s massive infrastructure project that aims to stretch across more than 150 countries.

PM Wong’s visit to China

The same day, PM Wong also visited the Beijing Humanoid Robotics Innovation Centre, and lauded that China has "made great strides in emerging technologies, especially in AI and robotics".

He later attended a dinner banquet hosted by Li, where he met with representatives from top Chinese businesses and welcomed them to invest in Singapore.

PM Wong and Li last met in May during the Asean-GCC-China Summit in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

Had a good conversation with Premier Li Qiang before the @ASEAN Gala Dinner. We exchanged views on regional developments and reaffirmed the strong ties between Singapore and China. pic.twitter.com/9U0kbSW0zJ

— Lawrence Wong (@LawrenceWongST) May 26, 2025

During his state visit to China from Jun. 22 to 26, PM Wong is also slated to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and National People’s Congress Chairman Zhao Leji.

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Top image via Lawrence Wong/X