President Halimah Yacob, accompanied by Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee, is in Beijing, to attend the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. President Halimah had a bilateral meeting with President Xi and attended a Welcome Dinner hosted by President Xi for foreign dignitaries today.
During the bilateral meeting between President Halimah and President Xi, both leaders reaffirmed the substantive and multi-faceted relations between Singapore and China. They noted that Singapore and China share a long tradition of close friendship and cooperation, underpinned by regular exchanges, robust economic ties, and strong people-to-people relations. Bilateral cooperation has progressed with the times and expanded across different areas, including trade, investment, culture, and sustainable development. They welcomed continued cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative through the four platforms of infrastructural connectivity, financial connectivity, third country collaboration, as well as professional services, including legal and judicial cooperation. Both Presidents welcomed more forward-looking cooperation such as in smart cities and Singapore’s broader engagement of the Greater Bay Area. They looked forward to commemorating the 30th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic relations in 2020, and President Halimah accepted President Xi’s invitation to make a State Visit to China next year. President Halimah and President Xi also discussed regional developments, including ASEAN-China relations.
President Halimah will deliver a speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations tomorrow. President Halimah will also have a bilateral meeting with Premier Li Keqiang, as well as meet and be hosted to a meal by Secretary of Communist Party of China Central Committee Secretariat Wang Huning.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
14 MAY 2019