Singapore, August 11 (AseanAll) — Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on August 11, with both sides pledging to advance bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Photo source : the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
Wang Yi , who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is in the city-state for a two-day visit, the first leg of his three-nation tour which also takes him to Malaysia and Cambodia.
Wang Yi conveyed the cordial greetings from Chinese leaders, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong jointly announced in March this year to upgrade the China-Singapore relationship to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership, opening up new prospects for high-level mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.
Wang Yi expressed his belief that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the China-Singapore relationship will continue to be a front-runner in China’s relations with its neighboring countries. This year marks the centenary of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s birth. Singapore has advanced its modernization process with Eastern values and blazed a unique path of successful development.
Wang Yi said that China supports Singapore’s continuous development and prosperity in accordance with the will of its people.
Photo source : the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
Lee Hsien Loong asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings to Chinese leaders, saying that one valued asset Mr. Lee Kuan Yew left is that he worked with the elder generation of Chinese leaders to lay a solid foundation for the development of Singapore-China relations.
The PM said Singaporean side will always remember the important inspiration he brought and carry forward the friendship between Singapore and China. The Singaporean side spoke highly of China’s resolve and efforts to advance its modernization drive and will jointly promote Singapore-China cooperation and open a new chapter of bilateral relations.
Noting that the world today is not peaceful, Lee Hsien Loong said that the Singaporean side expects major countries to play a leading role and seek mutual benefit and win-win results. Singapore supports deepening ASEAN-China cooperation to jointly safeguard regional peace, stability and development.
Photo source : the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
Wang stressed that China has also found a path of development which suits its national conditions.
China's development is the growth of peaceful forces and the enhancement of stabilizing factors, which will bring lasting benefits and development opportunities to all countries in the world, especially the neighborhood countries, said the Chinese foreign minister.
He said the United States, out of its motive to maintain unipolar hegemony, is unwilling to see the development and revitalization of China and other emerging countries.
On the one hand, it condones and supports the "Taiwan independence" forces relying on the United States to seek the end, trying to cross China's red lines; on the other hand, it tears away the pretense of fair competition and coerces other countries into unilateral protectionism against China, Wang said.
He added that these perverse practices will only damage its own credibility, laying bare the fact that the United States has become the biggest destabilizing factor in the world.
During his Singapore tour which began on August 10, Wang Yi also met with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Photo source : the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
