Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Singapore from Nov. 6 to 7 will advance Sino-Singaporean ties by creating new prospects and fresh engines for bilateral cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.[Special coverage]
Building upon the achievements in large-scale projects, finance, education and other areas, Xi's visit will map out a new blueprint for future China-Singapore relations, thus consolidating its neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.
FRESH MOMENTUM FOR POLITICAL TIES
President Xi's visit comes at a time when China and Singapore are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations and coincides with Singapore's recent appointment as coordinator for the ASEAN-China Dialogue, a mechanism created 25 years ago by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for the next three years.
Closer China-Singapore ties are evident in the frequent high-level visits between the two countries in 2015 alone: Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam paid a state visit to China from late June to early July and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli visited Singapore in October, making Xi's visit the third high-level bilateral meeting in just one year.
When hosting his Singaporean counterpart Tan in Beijing, Xi proposed that the two sides further strengthen their strategic communication and maintain high-level interactions to enhance political trust in each other, which he said will "escort" the practical cooperation between the two countries.
Reiterating China's commitment to peaceful development and good-neighborhood policy, Xi told Tan that the Chinese side is willing to cooperate with Singapore and other ASEAN countries to advance their relationship in a sustained way.
Agreeing with Xi in saying that the close high-level interactions have ensured the development of bilateral ties, Tan highlighted the fact that the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will benefit all countries in the region.
Tan pledged that Singapore will play an active role in boosting the relationship between ASEAN and China.
Chinese Ambassador to Singapore Chen Xiaodong said that the two countries are making joint efforts to promote their ties by enhancing political trust, creating new engines for cooperation and deepening cultural exchanges.
