BALI, July 9 (ABC): Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met here with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on bilateral ties and cooperation.
During their meeting on Friday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 foreign ministers’ meeting, Wang said China-Singapore high-level cooperation has become a front-runner in the region and is leading trends of the times, calling for further strategic communication and broader practical cooperation to bring bilateral relations to a new level.
Balakrishnan said Singapore-China relations have enjoyed a sound momentum of growth, with close high-level exchanges lending strong impetus to the development of bilateral ties.
He expressed hope to restore offline high-level exchanges at an early date, and work with China to prepare for meetings under the Singapore-China bilateral cooperation mechanism.
Singapore welcomes and supports China in applying to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), Balakrishnan said.
He congratulated China on celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, saying it is great to see Hong Kong restore stability and that he is confident that Hong Kong will embrace a brighter future and make greater achievements under the new-term HKSAR government.
Wang said China stands ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Singapore, and thanked Singapore’s support for China to join the CPTPP and DEPA, adding that China is willing to maintain communication with all relevant parties on this issue.
Wang stressed that Hong Kong has restored order with its people enjoying security and freedom once again. The legal system has been gradually improved, and Hong Kong’s status as an international financial, shipping and trading center will be more solid.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional cooperation and other issues of common concern.