PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | Macao Special Administrative Region

Year of establishment of diplomatic relations: 1990

Recent Bilateral Highlights

2009

• President Hu Jintao made his first State Visit to Singapore from 11-13 November, in conjunction with the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting. Hu last visited Singapore in 2002 in his capacity as Vice President. It was the first State Visit of a Chinese President in 15 years as the last State Visit was by former President Jiang Zemin in 1994. During his State Visit, Hu met President Nathan, who hosted a State Banquet for him. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew also called on Hu. Hu witnessed the signing of four agreements on the loan of a pair of giant pandas, the establishment of the China Cultural Centre in Singapore, collaboration between Zhejiang University and Singapore University of Technology and Design, and on human resource development.

• The Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) GEN Chen Bingde made a bilateral defence visit to Singapore from 22-24 October.

• Vice Premier Wang Qishan made an official visit to Singapore from 23-26 August to co-chair the 6th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), 11th Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) Joint Steering Council (JSC) and the 2nd China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city JSC meetings with DPM Wong Kan Seng. During his visit, Wang called on President Nathan, PM, SM Goh and MM.

• Minister of Commerce Chen Deming visited Singapore in July, when he called on President Nathan, PM, SM Goh and MM.

• State Councillor and Politburo member of the Communist Party of China Liu Yandong visited Singapore from 23-26 April. While in Singapore, Liu called on PM, MM, DPM Teo Chee Hean and also met Minister for Education Dr Ng Eng Hen.

• National People’s Congress (NPC) Vice Chairman Zhou Tienong led a delegation comprising representatives from the NPC and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on an official visit to Singapore from 8 to 10 January 2009. During his visit, Vice Chairman Zhou met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi.2009 also saw a number of Ministerial-level visits by provincial leaders, including Qinghai Party Secretary Qiang Wei in October, Henan Governor Guo Gengmao in August, Hainan Governor Luo Baoming in July and Shaanxi Party Secretary Zhao Leji in April.

• PM made a working visit to Zhejiang and Shanghai from 4-7 June, where he met the Party Secretaries of Shanghai and Zhejiang, Yu Zhengsheng and Zhao Hongzhu respectively.

• MM and DPM Wong took part in the SIP 15th anniversary celebrations in Suzhou in May 2009. MM met Vice Premier Wang Qishan, Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng, Jiangsu Party Secretary Liang Baohua and former Vice Premier Li Lanqing.

• Senior Minister Goh made three separate visits to China in 2009. SM visited Guangdong in March to witness the launch of the 7th business council, Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council (SGCC); Dalian and Liaoning in September in conjunction with Foundation of Young Global leaders board meeting, and Fujian in October. SM met the provincial leaders of these provinces during his visits.

• DPM and Minister-in-charge of Civil Service Teo Chee Hean visited Shanghai in 3-4 April, to attend the inaugural Public Service Division-Central Organisation Department (PSD-COD) Forum on Leadership Selection and Development.

2008

• Jiangsu Party Secretary Liang Baohua led a delegation to Singapore from 26 to 30 November 2008 to attend the 2nd meeting of the Singapore-Jiangsu Cooperation Council (SJCC) and the 2008 Jiangsu-Singapore Economic and Trade Forum. During his visit, Party Secretary Liang met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng and Acting Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong.

• MM visited Beijing and Shanghai from 26 October to 1 November 2008 for the JPMorgan IC Shanghai meeting. During his visit, MM met Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo and former Premier Zhu Rongji.

• Singapore and China signed the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's official visit to China in October 2008. The CSFTA is the first comprehensive bilateral FTA that China has concluded with an Asian country.

• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made an official visit to China from 22 to 27 October 2008 in conjunction with his participation in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) VII in Beijing. In Beijing, PM met President Hu Jintao, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and Executive Vice Premier Li Keqiang. PM also met Shaanxi Party Secretary Zhao Leji and Governor Yuan Chunqing in Xi’an.

• Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong made a working visit to China from 24 to 28 September 2008 where he co-officiated the ground-breaking ceremony of the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city with Premier Wen Jiabao. In Beijing, SM also met State Councillor Liu Yandong and Central Organisation Department Minister Li Yuanchao.

• PRC Politburo Member and Guangdong Party Secretary Wang Yang made an official visit to Singapore from 14 to 17 September 2008. During his visit, Party Secretary Wang met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, DPM Wong Kan Seng, Foreign Minister George Yeo and Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang.

• Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng made an official visit to China from 2 to 6 September 2008 to co-chair the 5th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the 10th Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) Joint Steering Council (JSC) and the inaugural China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city JSC meetings with PRC Vice Premier Wang Qishan. During his visit, DPM met Premier Wen Jiabao, State Councillor and Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu, Politburo member and Tianjin Party Secretary Zhang Gaoli and Tianjin Mayor Huang Xingguo.

• President S R Nathan visited Beijing from 12 to 16 August 2008 to attend the Beijing Olympic Games. While in Beijing, President met PRC President Hu Jintao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. President also visited Henan from 16 to 18 August 2008. In Henan, President met Henan Party Secretary Xu Guangchun and Henan Acting Governor Guo Gengmao.

• Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew visited Beijing from 6 to 8 August 2008 to attend the Beijing Olympic Games. While in Beijing, MM met Vice President Xi Jinping.

• Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo visited Dandong and Beijing from 14-17 May 2008. In Dandong, Minister Yeo met senior leaders while in Beijing he met State Councillor Dai Bingguo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi, Central Organisation Department Minister Li Yuanchao and Central Party School Executive Vice Principal Li Jingtian.
  
  

• MINDEF signed a bilateral agreement on defence exchanges and security cooperation with China at the inaugural Defence Policy Dialogue from 6-8 January 2008.
  
  

• Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan led a delegation to co-chair the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Joint Working Committee meeting with Minister of Construction Wang Guangtao from 29-31 January 2008. Minister Mah also visited the Suzhou Industrial Park during his visit, and joined the IE Singapore-led business delegation to Tangshan on 1 February 2008.

Bilateral Relations

Singapore enjoys close and multi-faceted relations with the PRC. Bilateral relations are broad-based, spanning beyond economics and politics to education, culture and science and technology. To take stock of our cooperation and to build on the current foundation, both countries have set up the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) to bring all our bilateral cooperation under one roof. Both countries also enjoy close cooperation in regional and international fora. Singapore leaders enjoy warm working relationships with their Chinese counterparts and maintain regular high-level exchanges with the PRC. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew all made separate visits to China in 2009. A key highlight in 2009 was President Hu Jintao's inaugural State Visit to Singapore, in conjunction with the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM), in November. People-to-people exchanges were supplemented by programmes such as the PSD-COD Forum on Leadership Selection and Development, Chinese Mayors' Study Visit Programme, Senior Chinese Officials Study Visit Programme and the Sino-Singapore Undergraduate Exchange Programme.

Bilateral economic ties are strong. China is currently Singapore's 3rd largest trading partner. Singapore is also one of China's top trading partners and investors. The China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) came into effect in January 2009. The CSFTA is the first comprehensive bilateral FTA that China has concluded with an Asian country. With the conclusion of the CSFTA, the economies of both countries are expected to further benefit from the enhanced liberalisation in goods, services and investments. The FTA is also expected to contribute to regional economic integration by injecting additional momentum into the establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

The Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City - Singapore's two flagship projects in the PRC - anchors the close bilateral cooperation between Singapore and China. The seven provincial business councils Singapore has in Sichuan, Shandong, Lianoning, Zhejiang, Tianjin, Guangdong and Jiangsu underscore our cooperation with China in its regional development.