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China, Singapore to focus on cooperation in anti-epidemic, B&R, regional integration
Updated 10:43, 15-Sep-2021
CGTN
02:03

Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Singapore Tuesday that China and Singapore have agreed to focus on coordination and cooperation in five fields, including anti-epidemic efforts, the Belt and Road construction and regional economic integration. 

At a joint press conference with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Wang said that China and Singapore have jointly combated COVID-19 while promoting economic development, and have further boosted and expanded bilateral cooperation amid the pandemic. 

He pointed out that the two sides agreed to deepen dialogue and exchanges, and focus on coordination and cooperation in five fields. 

First, both sides will focus on anti-epidemic cooperation. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Singapore have closely cooperated in epidemic control, information-sharing and purchase of vaccines and medical supplies. 

Both countries will further enhance cooperation in the study of coronavirus as well as the research and development of vaccines and medicines, Wang said. 

Second, both sides will focus on the joint construction of the Belt and Road, especially of the New Land-Sea Corridor. 

The corridor has guaranteed the regional supply chains amid the pandemic. The two sides will further consolidate the trade corridor to let it play a bigger role in promoting regional connectivity, he said. 

Third, both sides will focus on cooperation on sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major opportunities for the development of digital economy, while tackling climate change has become a pressing challenge for mankind. 

Since the cooperation of China and Singapore has technological and funding advantages, it will lead the development of related industries in these two fields to provide new impetus for the global economic recovery, Wang said. 

Fourth, the two countries will focus on regional cooperation in East Asia. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN dialogue relations. 

China and Singapore will work together with other ASEAN nations to hold a series of celebratory events, including the leaders' summits, to elevate China-ASEAN relations, and facilitate the early entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership agreement, Wang said. 

Both sides will also fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, speed up consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly safeguard peace and stability of the South China Sea, Wang added. 

Fifth, the two countries will focus on multilateral cooperation. China and Singapore agree that the world needs unity and cooperation, not splits and confrontations. 

Both sides should give full play to the "in-the-same-boat" spirit and discard the zero-sum mentality. China is willing to join hands with Singapore to firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and promote multilateralism of win-win cooperation so as to usher in a new era of common development, he said. 

China's efforts to combat COVID-19 

Answering a question about what China has done to help regional countries and the world to combat COVID-19, Wang said that China, which deems the virus as the common enemy of mankind, has developed across-the-board cooperation with the international community in fighting the pandemic. 

Specifically, Wang said China took the lead in sharing virus-related information and anti-epidemic experience, providing anti-epidemic supplies to countries in large amount, offering massive vaccine support to developing countries, dispatching medical expert teams abroad, and proposing the building of a community of common health for mankind. 

China has sought international anti-epidemic cooperation with no intentions of geographical strategy, no attempts at economic gains, and no attachment of political conditions, Wang noted. 

The pandemic is far from over and China will continue to make contributions within its ability to the global efforts to combat COVID-19 and achieve a sustainable economic recovery, he added. 

China urges U.S. to view China's development objectively 

Moreover, Wang urged the United States to view China's development in an objective and rational way.

Wang said he hopes the United States would view, like Singapore and many other countries, China's development objectively and seek to expand mutually beneficial cooperation. 

Wang said that during his meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he expressed appreciation to Singapore for viewing China's development in a rational, fair and objective way, and for its efforts to find cooperation opportunities from China's development, so as to achieve mutual success and joint development. 

"This has brought tangible benefits to the peoples of the two countries," Wang said. 

However, Wang pointed out that there are countries and forces that take a suspicious approach to or even make serious misjudgment about China's development. This goes against efforts to boost cooperation and disrupt the development of normal relations, Wang said, adding this might be the way the United States is behaving. 

The United States should know that other countries too have a right to seek development; not only the people in the United States but also the people of other countries have the right to lead a happy life, Wang said. 

It's neither fair nor suitable for humanity's basic conscience to let one or just a few countries to develop, while others are left in poverty, he added. 

As the two largest economies in the world, the China-U.S. cooperation benefits the world, Wang said. He urged the United States to abandon zero-sum mentality and learn to seek peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation with other nations and civilizations, so as to jointly build a peaceful, harmonious, stable and prosperous world, Wang said. 

For his part, Balakrishnan said the United States is the most developed country that has a major influence in the world, but China has been the most successful in this region over the past 40 years. 

He hopes China and the United States can compete with each other in a constructive manner, take steps to manage tensions and cooperate in addressing global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, so as to work with countries in this region to achieve mutually beneficial and win-win results.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

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