Visit of President Halimah Yacob to the People’s Republic of China for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, 3 to 6 February 2022

President Halimah Yacob met President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping on 6 February 2022 and congratulated President Xi on China’s successful hosting of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Both leaders reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations, which maintained a positive momentum amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Halimah and President Xi unveiled the name of a student hostel (“知新楼”, Zhixinlou) that was built in Pengshui County, Chongqing, as part of a charity project initiated by the Singaporean community in China, in conjunction with the 30^th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic relations in 2020. President Halimah noted that the hostel symbolised the strong friendship between our peoples and the importance that both countries attached to education. Both leaders also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry and the PRC National Forestry and Grassland Administration on “Cooperation of Promoting Giant Panda Conservation”, which would provide a framework for bilateral cooperation on Giant Panda conservation and research.

President Halimah and President Xi agreed that both countries should work closely to continually upgrade bilateral relations. They affirmed that Singapore and China should step up collaboration in existing areas of cooperation. This included our three Government-to-Government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing, which were progressing well. They also discussed the importance of strengthening people-to-people ties, and looked forward to the full resumption of air connectivity and people-to-people exchanges when conditions permitted. Both leaders also welcomed greater cooperation in new areas such as the digital economy, the green economy and smart cities. On behalf of the people of Singapore, President Halimah also conveyed Lunar New Year greetings to President Xi and the people of China.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

6 FEBRUARY 2022

Photo caption: Meeting between Singapore President Halimah Yacob and PRC President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on 6 February 2022

Photo credit: Xinhua News Agency