Importance of the bilateral tie between Singapore and China

On November 12, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore, exchanging in-depth views on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

Echoing Hu's proposals on developing bilateral ties, Lee said the relations between the two countries are full of vitality with cooperation at multiple levels and in all areas going smoothly. Achievements have been made in bilateral cooperation on high-tech, Chinese enterprises going global, Singapore-China cooperation at local levels and human resource training. The Suzhou Industrial Park has scored noticeable outcome over the past 15 years and the Tianjin Eco-City project has also been proceeding smoothly. He said bilateral cooperation was not only beneficial to both countries, but also conducive to the international community. Lee suggested that the two countries should step up cooperation in such new fields as city planning, water resources treatment, environment protection and social harmony to advance the future cooperation between both sides. Singapore and China should learn from each other to achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcome. As Singapore will host the Youth Olympic Games next year, the country hopes to learn from China's experience in holding the Olympics and other big events.

Lee said the two countries, with different national realities, should learn from each other, increase exchanges, and strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the era of globalization. Lee said the forthcoming 17th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting would be very important, and he thanked China's support to Singapore for hosting the meeting. President Hu Jintao's attendance will play an important role in pushing forward the development of APEC, the Singaporean prime minister said. "Singapore welcomes China enhancing cooperation with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and welcomes China's active participation in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation," Lee said, adding that his country is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in the Group of 20 and other international organizations.

Lee said China has played an important role in tackling the international financial crisis and will continue to play an important role in the post-crisis era. The stability, vitality and prosperity of China's economy are conducive to economic recovery in Asia and the world, he said.

After their meeting, the two leaders attended the signing ceremony of relevant cooperation agreements between the two countries.