Singapore and China celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, East Asia News & Top Stories



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BEIJING – The leaders of Singapore and China exchanged congratulatory messages to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties on Saturday (October 3).

In his remarks, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the country is willing to work with Singapore to deepen practical cooperation.

“The cooperation between the two countries goes beyond the bilateral scope and exerts an exemplary effect regionally and internationally,” Xi said in remarks to President Halimah Yacob, according to a reading by the official Xinhua news agency.

As the world experiences changes not seen in a century due to the coronavirus pandemic, China is willing to work with Singapore to further develop the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi said.

“China is willing to work together with Singapore … to deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, and promote further development of bilateral relations for regional and global stability and prosperity,” he added .

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also wrote to his counterpart, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, to commemorate the occasion.

“China is willing to work with Singapore to … keep up with the times, pioneer and innovate, deepen the alignment of development strategies, and help the two countries and the region overcome challenges and usher in better development prospects in the future, “he wrote. , according to Xinhua.

On October 3, 1990, the foreign ministers of the two countries signed a joint communiqué at the United Nations headquarters in New York, which marked the beginning of diplomatic relations.

While there were previous visits and interactions, they were arranged through the Singapore trade office in Beijing.

The Chinese Embassy in Singapore also released the first of a three-part documentary on Saturday celebrating 30 years of bilateral ties.

With the participation of 20 people from “all walks of life”, the first episode featured the participation of senior diplomats Chan Heng Chee and Tommy Koh, who had personally participated in establishing formal ties, the director of the group of Chinese media of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Lee Huay The president of Leng and Business China, Lee Yi Shyan.

The episode examined the early stages of bilateral relations and the joint government’s inaugural project, the Suzhou Industrial Park.

Meanwhile, Lianhe Zaobao and the English electronic magazine ThinkChina released a picture book on Saturday, titled In The Footsteps: 30 Years of Singapore-China Diplomatic Relations.

The book was presented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Transport, Chee Hong Tat, and the Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Hong Xiaoyong.

Former Foreign Ministers S. Dhanabalan, Wong Kan Seng and George Yeo, and former Singapore Ambassadors to China Cheng Tong Fatt, Chin Siat-Yoon and Stanley Loh also attended.



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