'Old friends' from Singapore get a head start as China reopens

It is on a drive to welcome back investors and businessmen with longstanding ties

- Elizabeth Law and Lim Min Zhang

SINGAPORE/BEIJING - A month before China resumed issuing all visas to foreigners on March 15, Singaporean businessman Tony Du received an invitation to visit the country from the Sichuan provincial government's overseas Chinese affairs office.

Mr Du, who is president of the Tian Fu Association, a Singapore clan association for new Chinese immigrants, gathered a group of 30 members for the five-day trip starting March 25.

The delegation comprised businessmen, students and others such as retired architect Liu Thai Ker.

They entered on business visas processed with the help of the Chinese embassy in Singapore. While they paid for their air tickets, all other expenses were borne by the Sichuan government.

To explore opportunities for collaboration, the group visited places such as the city of Mianyang, the districts of Wenjiang and Qingyang, and a development area called the Tianfu New Area. In Chengdu, they met officials from the Singapore consulate.

There were also discussions with Chinese officials, the highestranked of whom was Sichuan Provincial Standing Committee member Zhao Junming. Mr Zhao is also head of the Sichuan arm of the United Front Work Department, which maintains ties with the ethnic Chinese diaspora, especially individuals who play significant roles in their own communities.

Mr Du is among a small group of Singaporeans who were among the first to be invited to visit China again after it emerged from nearly three years of travel restrictions. As China doubles down on economic recovery this year, it is on a drive to welcome back foreign businessmen and investors with longstanding ties.

Mr Du and others who spoke to The Straits Times described a China that is striving to move forward from one of the world's longest Covid-19 lockdowns.

Former People's Action Party MP Seng Han Thong visited Yunnan and Guizhou provinces from Feb 25 to March 3 with 20 others.