Singapore, China reaffirm 'good and warm' relations

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Singapore, China reaffirm 'good and warm' relations

Today, 12:24 PM	#1
Greater Supremacy Member     Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 88,480	Singapore, China reaffirm 'good and warm' relations Quote: 28/2/2017 SINGAPORE: "Candid and friendly discussions" were held between Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, as well as the Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Song Tao, on Monday (Feb 27) during his trip to Beijing. Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday said the ministers reaffirmed the "all-round cooperative partnership progressing with the times" as agreed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2015. "Singapore and China continue to enjoy good and warm relations built up painstakingly over many decades," said MFA. During the trip, the two foreign ministers discussed ways to promote regional development and connectivity, including Singapore's support for China's "Belt and Road" initiative, MFA said. Dr Balakrishnan also encouraged Chinese companies to compete in the international tender for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail project, conducted jointly by Malaysia and Singapore. "Both China and Singapore are fully committed to free trade and the promotion of win-win outcomes through greater regional economic integration, including expediting the upgrade of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement," MFA said. "They also expressed support for ongoing negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is a pathway towards an eventual Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific." Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Wang also exchanged views on ways to strengthen ASEAN-China relations. Singapore is the Country Coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, and has worked with ASEAN member states and China on a forward-looking agenda, MFA said. Mr Wang also affirmed China's commitment to working with ASEAN on a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, starting with establishing a framework by mid-2017. During his meeting with Mr Song, Dr Balakrishnan noted both countries' long-standing bilateral ties dating back to the time of Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and China's Deng Xiaoping. "Minister Song acknowledged Singapore’s role in supporting China’s development since the early years, and discussed the progress of the three Government-to-Government projects, namely the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city and the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (Chongqing Connectivity Initiative)," MFA said, adding that both ministers agreed to further strengthen cooperation on the "Belt and Road" initiative and party-to-party links between both sides. Hmm how come china Foreign minister face like black black? Last heard vivian walk out from a meeting during their last meet?