Yin Li, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Municipal Committee, together with Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing, met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his delegation on the morning of March 31.

Yin Li, on behalf of the CPC Beijing municipal committee and the municipal government, welcomed Lee and his delegation, thanked Lee for his long-term support for Beijing-Singapore cooperation, and briefed him on the city’s socio-economic development. He said that President Xi Jinping and H.E. the Prime Minister have maintained regular communication in recent years, which provided important strategic guidelines for future China-Singapore relations. The deepened practical cooperation between the two sides shows that the bilateral relationship is forward-looking, strategic, and exemplary in nature. We would like to work with Singapore to implement the consensus and continue to elevate China-Singapore quality cooperation to new heights. The many years of fruitful Beijing-Singapore cooperation in some areas has not only enhanced mutual understanding and friendship but also brought tangible benefits. Tremendous opportunities lie ahead as Beijing strives for its development in the new era and breakthroughs in promoting Chinese modernization through the thorough implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. Last year, Beijing-Singapore trade volume surpassed the $10 billion mark. We hope that the two sides can expand cooperation in fields like investment, trade in services, and digital economy, ramp up trade in terms of scale and quality, and create a first-class business environment for enterprises to invest and grow. By leveraging the strengths in education, science and technology, and human resources, the two sides can strive for more cooperation in sci-tech innovation to integrate into the global innovation network. Singapore is welcome to share its experience in improving the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and intellectual property protection, which will lead to more fruitful cooperation in innovation. As Beijing and Singapore have maintained close people-to-people exchanges, we expect H.E. the Prime Minister’s visit to become the driving force for personnel exchanges, cooperation in culture, education, science and technology, tourism and youth development, and mutual learning in urban governance, smart city development, digital and green transformation, and social security, thus enhancing the well-being of the people of both sides.

According to Lee, there has been a good partnership between Singapore and Beijing. The visit enabled him to witness the hustle and bustle of this megacity and feel its vitality and prosperity. It is of great significance for both sides to seize opportunities and expand cooperation under new circumstances. He expects more interaction with Beijing at all levels to deepen cooperation in a wider range of areas, including economy and trade, scientific and technological innovation, digital industry, and financial services, and to learn more from each other in culture and tourism, talent training, and urban development and management, so as to continue to benefit the people of both sides through high-quality cooperation.

After the meeting, Beijing and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.

Chinese Ambassador to Singapore Sun Haiyan and leaders from Beijing Xia Linmao and Zhao Lei attended the meeting.

(Written by: Qi Mengzhu, Fan Junsheng  Photos by: Dai Bing, Sun Yue)