DPM Teo Chee Hean to make three-day official visit to China

SINGAPORE –– Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will make a three-day official visit to Beijing starting Sunday (Feb 26) to attend an annual high-level bilateral meeting at the invitation of Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.

Mr Teo and Mr Zhang will co-chair the 13th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting on Monday, according to a press statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Saturday.

The JCBC is the top bilateral platform to discuss ways to deepen and broaden Singapore-China cooperation, in line with the agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2015 for an “All-Round Cooperative Partnership Progressing with the Times”. The last JCBC meeting was held in October 2015.

Mr Teo and Mr Zhang, who is also a Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, will also co-chair meetings of the 18th China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council (JSC) and the 9th Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city JSC, said the PMO.

They will also co-chair an inaugural meeting of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (Chongqing Connectivity Initiative) JSC. 

“They will review the progress made on the three flagship Government-to-Government projects and discuss the direction of future bilateral cooperation,” said the PMO’s statement, adding that Mr Teo will be hosted to a welcome lunch by Mr Zhang.

Singapore is China’s top source of foreign investments, while the latter is Republic’s biggest trading partner. Both countries are negotiating an upgrade of the bilateral free trade agreement initially signed in 2009.

The Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-City are flagship projects for China-Singapore government-to-government cooperation.

The Suzhou Industrial Park was set up in 1994, and Tianjin Eco City in 2008.

During Mr Xi’s visit to Singapore in 2015, the two sides agreed to launch the third government-to-government project – the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative – to support China’s Western Region Development strategy.

However, bilateral ties have come under the spotlight recently, over the detention of the Singapore’s armoured vehicles in Hong Kong. The equipment has since been returned.

While in China, Mr Teo will have separate meetings with other Chinese leaders.

He will meet Singaporeans in Beijing at a ministerial dialogue hosted by the Singapore Embassy in Beijing and the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China (SingCham). The dialogue will be held in conjunction with SingCham’s 15th anniversary.

Mr Teo will be accompanied by Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) Lim Hng Kiang; Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan; Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu; Minister, Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing; Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong; Minister for Education (Schools) and Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng; Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung; as well as other members of the Cabinet.