Lawrence Wong heads to China for first official visit as PM

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is making a five-day official visit from June 22 to China, where he will seek to chart the strategic direction of bilateral ties with Chinese leaders.

- Yew Lun Tian

BEIJING —

This is his first trip to China since taking office in May 2024. In Beijing, he is scheduled to meet the country's top three leaders — President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and National People's Congress chairman Zhao Leji.

The trip will allow both sides to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening ties and is "an opportunity for leaders to discuss bilateral issues as well as regional and global developments", the Prime Minister's Office said on June 22.

The visit comes as Singapore and China mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations. In 2023, they upgraded ties to an "All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership".

PM Wong will also travel to Tianjin — a port city about 1½ hours south-east of Beijing by car — to attend an event commonly known as Summer Davos.

He will take part in a dialogue with World Economic Forum (WEF) president Borge Brende. The official name for Summer Davos is the WEF Annual Meeting of the New Champions.