Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Tuesday agreed to further strengthen post-pandemic cooperation.

The two diplomats met briefly at Singapore's Changi Airport, following Wang's official visit to Cambodia and Malaysia. 

The Chinese foreign minister will later visit Laos and Thailand.

Balakrishnan said this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and that both sides had helped each other in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which has demonstrated the resilience of the bilateral ties.

He said he hopes both sides will maintain cooperation and high-level exchanges and resume normal personnel exchanges as soon as possible to push their relations to a new height.

Wang, for his part, said Singapore stands to be a good friend and partner to China and that the bilateral relationship has withstood the test of COVID-19 and further strengthened in the fight against the pandemic.

China is willing to work with Singapore to enhance bilateral and trilateral cooperation in developing COVID-19 vaccines and promote the construction of a fast lane for personal exchanges and a green lane for logistics, Wang said.

The two sides also agreed to make a concerted effort to safeguard multilateralism, push for the international community's solidarity in combating the novel coronavirus and strengthen the relationship between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan pose for photos at Singapore's Changi Airport during Wang's transit visit, October 13, 2020. /Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China)