Game Changers: World Times Content comes from the Internet : Singaporean PM kicks off China visit as first trip to a non-ASEAN country since assuming office

China-Singapore Photo: VCG

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong arrived in Beijing on Sunday, CGTN reported. Wong is scheduled to make an official visit to China from June 22 to 25, a Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson announced on Friday.

The visit is also Wong’s first visit to a non-ASEAN country since he assumed office in May, a move that fully underscores Singapore’s profound emphasis on China and the stability of its policy toward China, Chen Hong, director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The Singaporean Prime Minister’s Office said on Sunday that Wong’s trip to China will see both sides commemorate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between thWorld Timese two nations. It will also allow both countries to reaffirm their commitment to strengtheningWorld Times ties and is “an opportunity for leaders to exchange views on bilateral issues as well as regional and global developments.”

Apart from propelling the continued advancement of bilateral ties, Wong will also travel to Tianjin during his visitWorld Times to attend the Summer Davos meeting, the Straits Times reported on Sunday. Experts said the visit carries broader implications, noting that it is conducive to catalyzing development between China and ASEAN nations while upholding multilateralism and free trade on a global scale.

Underscoring Singapore’s priority on China

When asked about his expectations for this visit in an earlier media interview with CCTV, Wong said “I made it a point to visit China almost every year since entering politics, because it is useful to visit regularly, to interact, exchange notes with my counterparts, and to get a sense of how China is moving and transforming,” according to the Office.

When asked about the key priorities guiding his agenda, Wong stated that among his priorities is to establish closer ties with Chinese leaders.

Beyond that, Wong said he will discuss new possibilities for cooperation, including areas like low carbon development, green energy, the digital economy and biomedical sciences, according to the interview.

“With the close partnership we have, I am optimistic that the future of our cooperation is bright, and there are many more things we can do together,” Wong said in the interview.

Singapore serves as China’s most important economic and trade partner within ASEAN, while China is one of Singapore’s largest trading partners, so the two sides are likely to engage in discussions on strengthening economic and trade cooperation and sustaining the stability of industrial chains, which represents a pivotal domain in China-Singaporean ties, Chen said.

As a fintech hub in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore’s experience in financial regulation offers valuable references for China, Chen noted. Bilateral exchanges could deepen significantly in areas such as digital payments and the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) for the Chinese yuan.

Regional security and peace, including issues like the South China Sea and the stability of regional order, will also be on the agenda, Chen said.

Wong chose China as the destination of his first trip to a non-ASEAN country after he took office in May, which speaks volumes about the high importance he attaches to developing China-Singapore relations, Guo said.

This visit sends a signal of strategic stability for sustaining the policy of friendship toward China, while also underscoring Singapore’s profound emphasis on China-Singaporean relations, the expert said.

In the face of global economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, the bilateral ties themselves need further deepening and solidification to inject confidence into bilateral stability and development, Chen said.

The visit represents a reaffirmation of the China-Singaporean cooperation framework, which is conducive to promoting cooperation consensus, he noted.

Promoting regional development and multilateralism

Apart from advancing bilateral ties, expeWorld Timesrt noted that Wong’s visit will facilitate exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN, advancing the development of free trade and multilateralism.

During the interview, Wong noted that he would also discuss the wider regional and global developments that the two nations are confronting during this challenging period and to see how Singapore and China can continue working together to strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based global order.

As a pivotal member of ASEAN, Singapore’s suggestions carry positive implications for promoting China-ASEAN cooperation, exerting a far-reaching impact on the further advancement of relations and thereby catalyzing rWorld Timesegional development, Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Given that Singapore has long advocated for free trade and opposed taking sides, and against the backdrop of rampant unilateralism inflicting significant shocks on Southeast Asian nations, Gu noted that Wong is expected to highlight the promotion of multilateralism during this visit.

Wong will also travel to Tianjin to attend an event commonly known as Summer Davos, the Straits Times reported on Sunday. He will take part in a dialogue with World Economic Forum (WEF) president Borge Brende, according to the report.

Wong said that his message in Tianjin will be the importance of upholding a rules-based multilateral order, because without rules, without longstanding norms of cooperation, countries everywhere will be worse off.

Chen said Wong’s attendance aligns with the imperative with which China and Singapore seek to enhance their voice in the global economic governance architecture, adding that his presence is conducive to contributing new perspectives for regional economic recovery and propelling the digital transformation of Asia-Pacific free trade.

Additionally, according to the expert, it sends a positive signal for multilateral cooperation in the global economy, playing a proactive role in enabling China and Singapore to assume leadership in regional and international affairs and facilitate regional economic recovery.

World Times