Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong kicks off China visit, set to meet Xi Jinping and speak at Boao Forum
- It’s Lee’s first mainland visit since the pandemic began; in CCTV interview he describes China-Singapore ties as ‘very good’
- Ahead of the trip he said the world must accept that China now plays a bigger role on the global stage
Lee, who landed in the southern Chinese city on Monday afternoon, will also meet China’s new Premier Li Qiang and other high-level Communist Party officials, including Zhao Leji, the new head of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislative body.
It is Lee’s first visit to the mainland since Covid-19 broke out, though he met Xi in November last year on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Bangkok.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a press briefing on Monday that Singapore and China were “friendly neighbours” and important cooperation partners, adding that Beijing hoped to strengthen bilateral ties during Lee’s visit.
The trip – ending on April 1 – follows a visit by Singapore’s foreign minister to Beijing last month. During that trip, Vivian Balakrishnan met his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang and took stock of the “substantive and forward-looking partnership” between the two countries.
During the meeting between the two foreign ministers, they affirmed long-standing relations between their countries and pledged to ramp up cooperation in emerging sectors, such as digital and green economies.
Lee’s visit comes as countries around the world are increasingly torn between the United States and China, and are reluctant to choose sides in the deepening superpower rivalry.
