Chongqing party leader calls on PM Lee during visit to S’pore

SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and China’s Communist Party secretary for Chongqing Yuan Jiajun reaffirmed the “substantive and multi-faceted relations” between both countries during the latter’s official visit to Singapore.

Mr Yuan called on PM Lee on Wednesday to discuss the close cooperation between Singapore and Chongqing, a megacity and manufacturing hub in south-west China.

The cooperation is anchored by the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), the third such government-to-government project in China, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement.

The two leaders said they looked forward to “strengthening the collaboration between Singapore and Chongqing, as well as between our two countries”, the statement added.

Mr Yuan, a rocket scientist who has made significant contribution to China’s space programme, was previously the party secretary for Zhejiang province.

He was appointed to the Communist Party’s 24-member Politburo in October 2022, and was named Chongqing’s party secretary in December that year.

During Mr Yuan’s visit, he also met other senior government leaders, such as Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat, and Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean.

Mr Heng and Mr Yuan took stock of progress being made in the CCI-New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), a trade and logistics passage with an operational hub centred in Chongqing.

They also exchanged views on ways to further collaborate in new areas such as digital connectivity and green development, the MFA statement said.

During his meeting with Mr Teo, Mr Yuan spoke about his priorities for Chongqing’s development.

“They also reaffirmed the important role of the CCI-ILSTC in serving as a link between western China and South-east Asia, and discussed ways to promote greater regional integration and growth through the development of the CCI-ILSTC,” the statement added.

Similar sentiments were shared on Tuesday when Mr Yuan met Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo.

They spoke at the CCI-ILSTC Regional Cooperation Forum, and attended a closed-door discussion where business leaders from both sides exchanged views on Singapore-Chongqing commercial collaborations.

Source: The Straits Times
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-and-china-reaffirm-substantive-and-multi-faceted-relations