Increase in China—Singapore Partnerships and Exchanges

Premier Li Keqiang held official talks with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Beijing on Sept. 19.

“China is willing to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with Singapore’s development strategy to improve trade and investment cooperation，” Premier Li said， proposing greater partnership in finance， science and technology and innovation and more exchanges in culture， social governance， defense， law enforcement and security. China hopes Singapore will support Chinese enterprises who wish to participate in the Singapore-Malaysia high-speed railway project， he added.

Stressing ASEAN is China’s diplomatic priority， Li said China backs Singapore， as coordinator for China-ASEAN relations and the 2018 rotating chair for ASEAN， to continue to play a constructive role in China-ASEAN relations and East Asia cooperation.

Lee said Singapore will work with China to improve regional connectivity， finance， investment， aviation and information technology partnerships. Singapore welcomes Chinese businesses to the high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur， Lee said.

Lee thanked China’s support for ASEAN development and said Singapore will be delighted to see bilateral ties grow.

Both sides will work for progress in negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership （RCEP） and upgrading the bilateral Free Trade Agreement （FTA）.

Chinese President Xi Jinping， top legislator Zhang Dejiang and Wang Qishan， head of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Commission for Discipline Inspection， also met with Lee.