[SINGAPORE] Prime Minister Lawrence Wong laid out three objectives for an upcoming trip to China – establishing closer ties, reaffirming a commitment to enhanced cooperation, and discussing global affairs – in an interview broadcast on Chinese state media on Friday (Jun 20).
PM Wong will visit China from Jun 22 to 26, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Aside from meeting Li and Chinese President Xi Jinping, he will speak at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Summer Davos meeting in Tianjin.
On the Leaders Talk programme on China’s CCTV-13, PM 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.”
But the upcoming visit is “more special” as it is his first as prime minister, added PM Wong, who took the helm in May 2024.
His first objective is to establish closer ties with China’s leaders, especially Xi and Li, both of whom he has met before.
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The second is to reaffirm both countries’ commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation, especially as 2025 marks 35 years of diplomatic relations.
In 2023, Singapore and China upgraded relations to an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership”.
The two countries have a “very close and steadfast” partnership built on mutual trust, respect and understanding, which began with Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and China’s Deng Xiaoping, said PM Wong.
Major government-to-government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing “are not simply projects that are completed”, he noted, but ongoing platforms for wider cooperation.
PM Wong’s third objective is to discuss global challenges and explore how both countries can work together to strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based global order.
The need to uphold this order will be his key message at Summer Davos, he added.
“Without rules, without longstanding norms of cooperation, countries everywhere will be worse off.”
Small countries such as Singapore are naturally concerned, as their limited bargaining power means a risk of being “sidelined and squeezed”.
But large countries will also be hurt in a more fragmented world, as mistrust will mean more uncertainty and volatility, with slower growth and higher inflation.
In the face of rising protectionism, one important move is the proposed upgrade of the China-Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which Singapore fully supports, said PM Wong. “We hope this can be signed at the coming Asean-China summit in October, and the new upgrade will come into force soon after that.”
This is in line with Singapore’s efforts to work with Asean and other like-minded countries to uphold free trade and a rules-based trading system, he pointed out.
Beyond Asia, Singapore is also working with partners such as the European Union, Latin America and Africa. “Some of these are countries we are not so familiar with, but we think we should now make an extra effort to establish closer links with them.”
PM Wong also said that he fully supports China’s intended accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), established by Singapore, Chile and New Zealand to promote collaboration on digital trade issues.
“There are requirements; there are standards to meet,” he noted, regarding the agreement.
“There is also a consensus process among all existing members.”
He added: “So we will do our part to support this, but we hope China will meet the requirements, and we look forward to being able to welcome China as part of DEPA.”
