PM Wong meets Xi in Beijing, commemorates 35th anniversary of bilateral relations between S'pore & China

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong met with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Jun. 24, part of his five-day working visit to China.

Unique Position

PM Wong was met by Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where they reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations and commemorated the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Xi first met PM Wong as PM in November 2024, on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Lima, Peru.

They also affirmed the continued deepening of bilateral ties within the framework of the All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership, to which the Singapore-China bilateral relationship was upgraded in 2023.

PM Wong and Xi welcomed the positive momentum in the bilateral relationship, such as in the digital and green economies.

They also expressed support for deepening official and institutional linkages and continuing to enhance people-to-people ties between Singapore and China.

During the discussion, PM Wong stated that Xi was in a “unique position” as he had previously engaged with and met all four of Singapore’s prime ministers.

PM Wong said he looked forward to building “on the strong foundations established by my predecessors” and establishing a close, good understanding and rapport with Xi, bringing both countries even closer together.

Xi congratulated PM Wong on the outcome of Singapore’s general election and stated that China believes under PM Wong and his new team’s leadership, “Singapore’s nation-building efforts will make even greater progress.”

He also noted the 35th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations.

Global turbulence and uncertainty

They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, with PM Wong saying that the world is undergoing a period of “global turbulence and uncertainty”.

Because of this, he believed that the China-Singapore relationship is more important than before, “and we can work together to establish closer ties, and also to cooperate in regional and multilateral platforms, to continue to strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based global order for the benefit of all countries”.

Xi said that “in the face of the current complex and turbulent international situation, China is willing to strengthen strategic cooperation with Singapore, tighten the bonds of collaboration, and work together to meet challenges, and bring greater well-being to the people of both countries”.

The pair also discussed cross-strait developments, with PM Wong reiterating Singapore’s “clear and consistent ‘One China’” policy and its opposition to Taiwan independence.

In a social media post after the meeting, PM Wong described the meeting as "good", and said Singapore looked forward to "building on the strong momentum in our ties, and forging closer collaboration in the years ahead."

Amidst a more uncertain external environment, we are committed to working together to foster continued peace, stability and shared prosperity for the region."

Summer Davos

PM Wong is at the midpoint of his five-day China trip, having met his counterpart, Premier Li Qiang, on Jun. 23 and been hosted to a dinner banquet by Li.

PM Wong is slated to meet Zhao Leji, Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress, later on Jun. 24.

He will then travel to Tianjin to attend the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, sometimes called “Summer Davos” in reference to the gathering world and business leaders held in Switzerland earlier in the year.

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Top image via Sean Koh/MDDI