Singapore, Zhejiang reaffirm ties during SM Teo's visit

Republic hopes to work with province for mutual gain, including in new areas such as digital economy, he says

- Joyce ZK Lim

HANGZHOU Singapore hopes to work with China's eastern coastal province of Zhejiang and its businesses for mutual benefit, including in new areas such as the digital economy, said Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean in the provincial capital of Hangzhou on March 20.

Speaking at a meeting with Zhejiang Party Secretary Yi Lianhong while on a six-day official visit to China, Mr Teo said that Singapore's cooperation with Zhejiang the birthplace of tech giant Alibaba had moved from traditional areas into new ones such as pharmaceuticals.

The Singapore-Zhejiang Economic and Trade Council, the main bilateral collaboration platform comprising government and private-sector representatives from both sides, in 2023 announced a new workgroup to drive cooperation in the digital economy.

"Zhejiang has some of the most dynamic digital companies in the world, and we hope to see how we can partner together with those companies and with Zhejiang as well," Mr Teo said.

He also expressed the hope that Zhejiang companies, many of which were looking to explore new markets abroad, would find Singapore to be a useful springboard for such ventures.