CNA | It is timely for Singapore and China to now take their partnership forward, said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday (Mar 31).
Mr Lee, who is on a visit to China which started on Mar 27, added that he was glad for the "strong friendship and deep understanding" between both countries.
During the meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Mr Lee and Mr Xi agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership”. "The upgraded partnership reflects both sides’ commitment to continually expand bilateral cooperation, and pursue new collaboration in forward-looking areas such as digital and green economies," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in its statement following the event.
The statement added that both leaders agreed that both sides should work towards resuming flight connectivity and people-to-people exchanges to pre-pandemic levels, as both countries work together towards post-pandemic recovery.
In the meeting attended by government officials from both countries and the media, Mr Lee said: "Singapore and China have continued to work with each other and support one another. And our relationship has only grown stronger."
"Therefore it's timely for us now to look ahead, work together and take our partnership forward," said Mr Lee, who is on the last leg of his trip which earlier took him to Guangdong and Hainan provinces. Mr Lee also congratulated Mr Xi on his reappointment as president, noting that China's new leadership team laid out its vision and long-term goals for the nation's next stage of development.
"I'm happy to read of China's emphasis on economic growth and resilience. I'm confident that your economy will continue to strengthen," said Singapore's prime minister.
Commenti