‘Especially valuable’: SM Lee, President Xi hail importance of Sino-Singapore cooperation amid troubled global climate

A MODEL FOR BILATERAL COOPERATION

Both leaders also praised the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) model as a blueprint for future bilateral cooperation. The project is the first government-to-government project between the two countries. Singapore leaders have over the years referred to it as a “pathfinder” for bilateral cooperation.

Launched in 1994 during China’s economic reforms and industrialisation, the joint industrial zone has since transformed from low-lying farmland into a modern, integrated township hub for high-tech industries.

Mr Xi remarked that the transformation is also “a testament to Singapore’s deep participation in China’s reform and opening up”.

Pointing to the transformation and modernisation of SIP, SM Lee remarked how there is only one traditional product that continues to be exported.

“And I saw a sign for it at the restaurant and the hotel today, it’s the hairy crab from Yangcheng lake. It’s a high-quality, high-content product from SIP. Everything else is new.”

Beijing is the second leg of Mr Lee’s six-day official visit to China. He was first in Suzhou, where he attended events marking the 30th anniversary of Suzhou Industrial Park and met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Mr Lee had said at an event on Monday that Singapore remains confident in China’s future, cautioning it would be both “short-sighted” and “unwise” to dismiss the world’s second-largest economy even as Beijing grapples with challenges at home and abroad.

“OLD AND DEAR FRIEND”

Mr Xi offered a warm welcome to Mr Lee at the start of their meeting. “You are an old and dear friend of the Chinese people, long dedicated to fostering and supporting China-Singapore cooperation,” said the Chinese president.

Mr Xi described Mr Lee as a seasoned statesman, noting his long tenure as Singapore’s prime minister and how they had met often in the past. Mr Lee made 14 trips to China throughout his two decades as Singapore prime minister from 2004. Both leaders last met in March 2023, when Mr Lee was still PM.

Mr Xi congratulated Singapore on a successful government transition in May, when Mr Lee stepped down as prime minister and handed the leadership reins to Mr Lawrence Wong. “We believe that Singapore will maintain its momentum of prosperity and development,” he said. 

The Chinese supremo also hosted Mr Lee for dinner on Tuesday evening. 

Earlier in the day, Mr Lee met with Mr Wang Huning, chairman of China’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Mr Wang is ranked fourth in the apex Politburo Standing Committee of China’s Communist Party (CCP). They met at the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing.