Wang Yi Meets with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan

On July 8, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Bali Island.

Vivian said that Singapore-China relations have maintained a sound development momentum. The close high-level contacts between the two countries have injected strong impetus into the development of bilateral relations. It is a great pleasure to accompany President Halimah Yacob to China in February this year to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Singapore looks forward to the early resumption of offline high-level contacts between the two countries and the joint preparation for the meeting of the Singapore-China bilateral cooperation mechanism. Singapore hopes that both sides will operate more direct flights to facilitate people-to-people exchanges. Singapore welcomes and supports China's application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA).

Vivian congratulated China on celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and said that he was pleased to see the gradual restoration of stability in Hong Kong and believed that under the guidance of the new special administrative region government, Hong Kong will have a better tomorrow and achieve greater progress in all aspects of development.

Wang Yi said that China and Singapore have joined hands to advance high-level cooperation, not only at the forefront of the region, but also leading the trend of the times. During the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, President Xi Jinping met with President Halimah and reached important consensuses on the development of bilateral relations. The two sides should take the consensuses as guidance to deepen strategic communication, expand pragmatic cooperation and drive China-Singapore relations to a new level. China is willing to maintain high-level contacts with Singapore and resume more flights in an orderly manner. China thanks Singapore for supporting the country in joining the CPTPP and DEPA, and is willing to maintain communication with all parties in this regard.

Wang Yi said that Hong Kong has been transformed from chaos to stability, the people have regained security and freedom, the legal system has been gradually improved, and Hong Kong's status as a global financial and shipping hub and trade center will be more solid. President Xi Jinping pointed out that there is no reason to change such a good policy of "one country, two systems" and it must be adhered to in the long run. We have full confidence that Hong Kong will be able to start a new chapter of development from stability to prosperity.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional cooperation and other issues of common concern.