Chinese FM calls for safeguarding regional peace, stability together with Singapore

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan in Beijing on Monday, calling for joint efforts to address global challenges and safeguard regional peace and stability.

Despite their difference in size, China and Singapore are both stabilizing factors in the world, said Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Against the backdrop of a complex and ever-changing international situation, both China and Singapore firmly uphold multilateralism, adhere to free trade, and advocate for an international system with the United Nations at its core, he said.

Wang called on the two countries to continue to strengthen strategic communication, enhance mutual trust, and jointly address global challenges.

Noting that China attaches great importance to developing relations with Singapore, Wang said China is ready to work with Singapore to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, promote practical cooperation in various fields, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and play an exemplary and leading role in the region.

Maintaining the security of global industrial and supply chains and the unimpeded flow of maritime traffic is the common aspiration of all countries and is in line with the common interests of the international community, he said, adding that China is willing to continue its efforts in this regard.

Singapore is an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and will assume the ASEAN chairmanship next year, Wang said, expressing expectations that Singapore will continue to play a positive role in promoting China-ASEAN cooperation.

Balakrishnan said Singapore highly values ​​its relationship with China, adding that cooperation and exchanges between the two countries are of paramount importance in the current complex international situation.

Singapore adheres to the one-China policy and firmly opposes "Taiwan independence," he said, stressing that this policy is long-term and consistent, and will never change.

Singapore is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, promote practical cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, education, science and technology, talent training, and people-to-people exchanges, develop key China-Singapore cooperation projects, and promote regional connectivity, he said.

Balakrishnan said maintaining the continued openness of the Strait of Malacca is in the interest of all parties and that Singapore supports free passage through the Strait of Malacca and other international waterways.

He voiced support for the Global Development Initiative proposed by China, as well as for multilateralism and free trade, adding that Singapore stands ready to work with China to uphold the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core and to jointly strive to promote world peace, development and prosperity.

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