Chinese vice premier visits Singapore, co-chairs meetings of bilateral cooperation mechanisms

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang paid a visit to Singapore and co-chaired meetings of bilateral cooperation mechanisms from Sunday to Monday.

During his two-day visit, Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yon and Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean.

In the meetings, Ding noted that China and Singapore are friendly neighbors and important partners, with bilateral ties maintaining a sound momentum of growth.

He said that leaders of the two countries jointly announced the new positioning of China-Singapore all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership last year, which has drawn up the blueprint for the development of the two countries' relations in the new era.

Ding said that China is ready to work with Singapore to further implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust and firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns.

He called on the two sides to synergize their development strategies more closely, set a new benchmark for high-quality cooperation, and improve and upgrade cooperation.

China is willing to join hands with Singapore to strengthen communication and coordination in major international and regional strategic issues, and advance universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, so as to safeguard stability and prosperity in the region, Ding said.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Wong and other Singaporean leaders said that Singapore adheres to the one-China principle, and views China's development from a long-term perspective.

They expressed appreciation for China's increasingly significant role in the global economy, the willingness to deepen cooperation with China in various aspects, and the commitment to build an open world economy and to create a better future for the people of the two countries and the region.

Ding and Gan on Monday co-chaired four meetings of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, namely, the 20th meeting of the China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the 25th meeting of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council (JSC), the 16th meeting of the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City JSC, and the eighth meeting of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity JSC. The two sides comprehensively reviewed the progress of China-Singapore practical cooperation and had in-depth exchanges on the cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), economy and trade, sustainable development, innovation, finance, public health, people-to-people exchanges, and bilateral national-level projects, and jointly explored new ideas and measures for cooperation.

Ding and Gan later witnessed the presentation of 25 achievements of China-Singapore cooperation, including the signing of a Belt and Road cooperation plan, agreeing on the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) Further Upgrade Protocol (FUP) to enter into force on Dec 31 this year, and the renewal of the framework agreement on the exchange and training program for middle and high-ranking officials.

The two officials also attended the unveiling ceremony of the commemorative sculpture for the 20th JCBC meeting, and a tree-planting ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Suzhou Industrial Park.

Chinese vice premier visits Singapore, co-chairs meetings of bilateral cooperation mechanisms

A road which is being constructed by a Chinese contractor in the mountains of Peru is expected to promote economic development in Huanuco province, which is located about 350 kilometers away from the Peruvian capital Lima.

Huanuco is surrounded by the towering Andes mountain range, with altitudes averaging over 4,000 meters, and its poor road infrastructure has posed significant challenges to travelers and to farmers when they want to ship their potatoes, corn and other produce to customers in other locations.

To mitigate these challenges, construction work began in 2019 on the Andes National Road project, also known as the Carretera Huanuco-La Union-Huallanca road project.

Located in the central and western regions of Peru, the 236.63-kilometer road is the country's largest infrastructure project under construction, and is expected to take 11-12 years to complete.

It is estimated to halve travel time for about 270,000 people in 243 towns along the road.

"I am a farmer. I have grown potatoes all my life. We tried to sell Huanuco products to Lima. Because there were only paths, it was difficult to get there. People had to travel for hours. But now, it has shortened the time," said Adalberto Vela, a potato farmer in Huanuco.

"In fact, it will lower the cost of products and it will be easier to transport the products to the capital," said Gonzalo Prado, a truck driver.

"From the point of view of transport in Peru, it was necessary, because it is part of the national highway system. This makes it easier and better for producers in the mountainous areas to profit more from their products," said Luis Cordoba, the director of the engineering department at the national highways bureau under the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

While trying to maximize the economic advantages of the new road, China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation Limited (CR20G), which is responsible for building the Andes National Road project, also works hard to protect the local environment.

This part of the Andes features a complex and diverse climate and a fragile ecological environment characterized by native forests along the route of the road.

To balance the requirements of heavy infrastructure work and a delicate environment, CR20G workers plant trees while building the road. The work team also includes experts specializing in environment, forest, safety, and community development. Nurseries have been established at different altitudes for different plants, and specialists teach forest protection knowledge to tens of thousands of residents along the road, and train forestry technicians.

"We are about to plant 40,000 trees. They are purely native species," said Luis Avila, a forest engineer.

"I look forward to the completion of the Andes national highway. Our construction team will deliver to the Peruvian people not only a high-quality expressway, but also a road surrounded by lush landscape, which is the best proof of Chinese companies' practice of biodiversity conservation. In my opinion, this road will be a road to poverty alleviation, a road that combines development and ecology, and a road of friendship between China and Peru," said Chen Jingfang, the executive manager of CR20G's Peru Branch.

Chinese-built road to promote economic, environmental development in Peru