Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Senior Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong in Beijing on Tuesday, calling for further synergy of development strategies and enhanced cooperation.
Commending the remarkable achievements Singapore made during Lee's tenure as prime minister, Xi spoke highly of Lee's long-term support for China-Singapore cooperation.
The two sides established an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership last year, setting a strategic course for the development of bilateral ties, Xi said.
Noting that next year will mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Xi said the two countries should strengthen high-level exchanges and deepen cooperation in various fields, so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples and make greater contributions to regional peace and prosperity.
Xi said the Suzhou Industrial Park, an important cooperation project between China and Singapore launched in 1994, has set a vivid example of bilateral cooperation and witnessed Singapore's participation in China's reform and opening up in the past three decades.
Adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics suited to its national conditions, China has embarked on a new journey to further deepen reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization, he said.
Xi expressed China's confidence in maintaining sound economic growth in the long run and realizing high-quality development.
Singapore is welcome to continue to pioneer cooperation with China, leverage the platform of bilateral cooperation mechanism meetings, operate major cooperation projects at a high level and seize the opportunities of digital and green development to write a new chapter in China-Singapore cooperation in the new era, said the Chinese president.
Noting that the world is undergoing changes of a scale unseen in a century, Xi said no country can stay immune in the face of risks and challenges, and solidarity, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness are right way forward for the world.
China is ready to work with Singapore to practice genuine multilateralism, follow the trend of economic globalization, uphold international fairness and justice, oppose bloc confrontations, divisions and antagonism, and build an Asian community with a shared future, he said.
For his part, Lee said that during his visit to China in March last year, he and Xi jointly elevated China-Singapore relations to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership.
Lee said bilateral relations have been further strengthened with the successful holding of meetings of bilateral cooperation mechanism that generated many practical outcomes.
Over the past 30 years of development, the Suzhou Industrial Park has become a signature platform of high-quality cooperation between Singapore and China, showing the world China's continuous reform and opening up, he said.
Noting that China has found a successful development path toward modernization, Lee said Singapore is full of confidence in China's future and believes that China will maintain development and prosperity and make greater contributions to world peace and development.
Singapore will remain committed to deepening cooperation with China and will actively participate in the process of Chinese modernization, he said.
In the face of the current complex international landscape, all countries should be far-sighted, adhere to multilateralism, stay committed to unity and cooperation, jointly address risks and challenges, and better benefit the people, said Lee.
The two sides also exchanged views on China-US relations, regional situation and other major issues of common concern.
At the invitation of the Chinese side, Lee Hsien Loong is on a visit to China from Nov 24 to 29.
Xi meets Lee Hsien Loong, calling for enhanced cooperation
