Vivian meets top Chinese officials to chart growth in bilateral ties

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met top Chinese officials on Sept 9 during a two-day official visit to Beijing, with both sides outlining hopes for a further deepening of the relationship.

- Lim Min Zhang

He met Mr Cai Qi, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Secretariat and the fifth-1 ranked leader in the party, as well as China's top diplomat Wang Yi.

In an Instagram post, Dr Balakrishnan said he discussed with Mr Cai the "excellent progress" in bilateral relations since ties were upgraded in April 2023, when then PM Lee Hsien Loong met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

"We are committed to deepening our relationship further, and encouraging more exchanges between our leaders, officials and peoples," he said.

He conveyed to Mr Xi and Premier Li Qiang well wishes from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

At their meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Mr Cai told Dr Balakrishnan that Singapore and China have maintained high-level exchanges in recent years. Mr Xi has met Singapore leaders "many times" to plan for the development of the relationship, he said.

"China is willing to work with Singapore to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen allround, high-quality and forwardlooking cooperation, and continue to enrich the meaning of the relationship." Dr Balakrishnan, who was meeting Mr Cai for the first time, was accompanied by Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sim Ann and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials. He last visited China in February 2023.