Wang Yi Meets with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat

On September 13, 2021 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Singaporean Co-chair of the China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) Heng Swee Keat in Singapore.

Wang Yi said, the China-Singapore relations are forward-looking, strategic and exemplary. Going along the tide of the times, both sides have advanced bilateral cooperation with the times, playing an important leading role in regional cooperation. As the highest-level and most influential cooperation mechanism between the two countries, the JCBC is of great significance to making holistic planning for the development of bilateral relations. China is willing to work with Singapore to bring into full play the role of the mechanism and raise the bilateral cooperation to new levels.

Wang Yi said, virus does not respect borders, nor does it distinguish between races. Solidarity of all mankind is the only way leading to victory over the pandemic. The politicization of COVID-19 origin-tracing and the attempts of scapegoating and blame-shifting undermine the international joint efforts to fight the pandemic. China is willing to cooperate with Singapore on medicine research and development and virus research, and jointly oppose vaccine nationalism, so as to make contributions to the regional pandemic response and the building of a global community of health for all.

Noting that the pandemic has triggered the booming development of the digital economy and the like at the same time of changing the world, Wang Yi said, China is ready to work with Singapore to utilize digital technologies to upgrade the China-Singapore "3+1" cooperation projects and "7+1" cooperation mechanisms, promote the development of rules on the open, inclusive and secure digital economy, and expand the cooperation in areas including green economy, so as to facilitate the economic recovery of both countries and the region.

Heng Swee Keat said, maintaining high-level contacts amid the pandemic outbreak is of great significance to strengthening cooperation between Singapore and China. The Singaporean side hopes that a new JCBC meeting will be held to further deepen the bilateral cooperation in the post-pandemic era. The Singaporean side lauded China's active efforts to conduct vaccine cooperation with external parties and share experience in COVID-19 response with other countries, and is willing to further step up cooperation with China in the fields of pandemic prevention and control, digital economy, green finance and climate change and contribute positively to tackling global challenges.