SINGAPORE – Singapore’s leaders sent congratulatory letters to their Chinese counterparts on Oct 3 to mark 35 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, in his letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, said ties between the two nations were built on the foresight and efforts of pioneer leaders, particularly Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Deng Xiaoping, in the 1970s.
Those ties have now grown into a close and wide-ranging partnership that both countries enjoy today.
Mr Lee was Singapore’s founding prime minister, and Mr Deng was the Chinese statesman who played a key role in opening China up to the world.
In his letter, Mr Tharman said
Singapore and China in 2023 upgraded bilateral relations to what was termed an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership”.
Government-to-government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing, as well as a state-level bilateral cooperation project in Guangzhou, continue to progress, develop new features and remain forward-looking, he added.
He said: “To keep pace with changing times, we have expanded our cooperation into new areas like the digital and green economies, food security, and deepening financial cooperation.
“Generations of our citizens have also strengthened ties through study, business, tourism and cultural exchanges.”
Mr Tharman added that he is confident that Singapore and China will continue to work closely together to bring bilateral relations to even greater heights.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in his letter to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, said although Oct 3 marks 35 years of diplomatic ties since 1990, the friendship between Singapore and China started long before that.
Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, said: “Over the years, our relationship has continued to deepen, rooted in a willingness to understand each other’s perspectives, as well as the building of mutual trust through decades of mutually beneficial cooperation.”
He, too, cited the
three government-to-government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing,
and the state-level project in Guangzhou as testament to the depth of relations between the two countries.
“Each project, launched during different periods of China’s developmental journey, has served our evolving priorities,” he added.
PM Wong also touched on three high-level bilateral platforms – the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, the Singapore-China Forum on Leadership, and Social Governance Forum – which continue to be important mechanisms for successive generations of leaders and officials to exchange ideas and identify new areas of collaboration.
He said: “As we celebrate 35 years of relations, I look forward to working closely with you to advance cooperation in emerging areas like the digital and green economies, finance and clean and renewable energy.
“We can also explore ways to support the development of our region and address common challenges like climate change.”
PM Wong said Singapore and China share a commitment to support free trade and uphold a rules-based multilateral system, including through platforms like the World Trade Organisation and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
He said: “We should further expedite the implementation of the upgraded China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, the China-Asean Free Trade Area Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.”
He added that he looks forward to deepening cooperation at regional and multilateral fora to turn shared challenges into new opportunities.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, wrote to Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang.
He said: “Amid an increasingly uncertain world, it is important that we continue to strengthen our cooperation, both bilaterally and in regional and international forums.
“Singapore looks forward to working closely with China to uphold our shared commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order and multilateral trading system for the benefit of both our peoples and the broader region.”
In his letter to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said he was confident that the relationship between Singapore and China will grow to greater heights in the coming years.
He said: “Singapore and China have also worked closely together on the regional and international level.
“Given our shared interests in supporting free trade, multilateralism, and a rules-based international order, there is more that we can do together to benefit our peoples and the broader region.”
