China, Singapore eye closer ties

President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Senior Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong during their meeting in Beijing on Tuesday. (FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY)

President Xi Jinping expressed hope on Tuesday that Singapore will continue to act as a pioneer in cooperation with China by making good use of bilateral platforms and effectively managing major projects.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Senior Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong. It is Lee's first visit to China since he stepped down as prime minister of Singapore.

Noting that next year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties, Xi called on both sides to intensify high-level exchanges, further align development strategies and deepen cooperation in various areas to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

The president called for both sides to seize opportunities in digital and green development cooperation, two important areas under the framework of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park.

Once a low-lying field, the industrial park has been transformed into a hub of innovation over the past 30 years, setting a vivid example for bilateral cooperation, Xi said.

It also stands as a testament to Singapore's deep involvement in China's reform and opening-up, he added.

Founded in 1994 and home to over 400 Singaporean enterprises, the park has witnessed the development of closer cooperation between the two sides.

Statistics show that the park has attracted more than 5,000 foreign-invested projects, with actual foreign investment use exceeding $40 billion over the past three decades.

Lee told Xi that Singapore remains confident in China's future, and he believes that a growing and prospering China will contribute more to world peace and development.

Singapore will remain committed to deepening cooperation with Beijing and actively participate in the process of Chinese modernization, he said.

Lee reportedly visited China 14 times in his two decades as Singaporean prime minister. The last time he visited China was in March last year, when the two countries agreed to elevate bilateral ties to an all-around, high-quality, future-oriented partnership.

Speaking at a forum in Suzhou on Monday, Lee said that it would be "shortsighted and unwise" to dismiss the world's second-largest economy, The Straits Times reported.

China has shown that it can take a strategic perspective, maintaining consistent policies over the long term to ride through transient ups and downs, and Singapore is committed to deepening cooperation with China, including through the Suzhou Industrial Park, he added.

Zhou Shixin, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said that Lee's visit aims not only to strengthen the stability and resilience of China-Singapore relations, but also to lay the foundation for more robust bilateral ties and enhance the ability and confidence of regional countries to deal with multiple crises in the future.

China has been Singapore's largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years, with bilateral trade volume reaching $108.39 billion last year. In addition, Singapore is the first country in Asia to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China.

The Suzhou Industrial Park cooperation model demonstrates that the partnership between China and Singapore has extended throughout their economic and industrial structures, Zhou said.

He added that it provides both countries with a stronger sense of shared development and greater confidence in the future.

Zhou said bilateral cooperation can be further strengthened in areas such as digital trade, e-commerce, biotechnology and smart cities.

During the talks, Xi and Lee also expressed the commitment to upholding multilateralism and solidarity to jointly deal with challenges. They also exchanged views on issues of common concern, including China-United States ties.

Noting that Lee's trip to China comes after a visit to the US, Zhou said this shows that in the face of increasing uncertainty and instability, Singapore seeks to strengthen its strategic interactions with both Beijing and Washington in order to find a foreign strategy better suited to its future development.

As Singapore is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the country also represents the common aspirations of ASEAN, which hopes to cooperate with its partners, including China, to address potential disruptions to regional industrial and supply chains, Zhou said.