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Before his official visit to China, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in an interview that China "is much more prosperous, its contribution to the world economy is much more, and its voice in international affairs is much more." It's an echo of what he said to Chinese President Xi Jinping last November on the sidelines of the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting. He stated that China's rise is unstoppable and that a strong and friendly China would bring a positive influence to the region and the world.

One would hope that countries around the world would all have similar kind of objective judgement of China's development.

For both Singapore and China, the relationship between the two has been important in each other's development. Singapore is the first Asian country to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China, which has been Singapore's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years since 2013. In 2022, China-Singapore bilateral trade hit $115.13 billion, an increase of 22.8 percent. And since 2013, Singapore remained the largest source country of new investment for China. By October, 2022, Singapore had more than $130.4 billion worth of real investment in China and is accumulatively the largest source of new investment in China.

And similar kind of relationship can be emulated. And some countries are making the effort. As the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 kicks off, many heads of state and senior officials are taking this opportunity to visit China. Besides Lee, prime ministers of Spain, Malaysia and Cote d'Ivoire are also on the guest list. Prime Minister of Kazakhstan also expressed his wish to attend in an earlier meeting with the Chinese ambassador to the country. 

Like Singapore, China is Spain's largest trading partner outside of the European Union. And located at the intersection of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Spain was an early participant and beneficiary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI was launched in 2013. And in 2014, the Yiwu-Madrid Railway began its operation. It connects China's Yiwu city, the world's largest wholesale center for small goods, with the Spanish capital. From 2014 to 2022, Yiwu's trade with Spain increased from $400 million to $870 million.

Malaysia is another important link in the BRI. It was one of the first countries to give a positive response to the initiative when it was first proposed. And as the Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah once said, China is not only Malaysia's largest trading partner, but also its important strategic partner. It was the first country among ASEAN to establish formal diplomatic relations with China in 1974. The China-Malaysia relationships is crucial to the China-ASEAN relationships and, therefore, the stability of Southeast Asia.

Besides these leaders, it is expected that French President Emmanuel Macron and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will be visiting China together in early April. Meaning, the leaders of a permanent UN Security Council Member and one of the world's largest economies could be expected in Beijing engaging in face-to-face discussions with the Chinese leadership.

In truth, from late 2022, China has engaged in a series of frequent and highly productive diplomatic actions. From the G20 to state visit to Saudi Arabia, from the successfully mediating the restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran to advancing China-Russia relationships even further, China’s actions have shown its influence as a mediator and a peace-maker.

China has been talking about building a community with a shared future for mankind. It has repeatedly emphasized this philosophy. It's been clear that China has been making efforts to act on it by promoting greater prosperity in Asia and fostering peace across the world. And that is how a major country that shoulders its responsibilities the international community behave in a time of turbulence and division.

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