Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong's Meeting with Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang in Beijing, 23 June 2025

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong met Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 23 June 2025. Premier Li also hosted Prime Minister Wong to a Welcome Ceremony and Dinner Banquet.

Prime Minister Wong and Premier Li reaffirmed the strength and depth of Singapore-China relations, and commemorated the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between both countries. Prime Minister Wong and Premier Li underscored that the longstanding friendship and mutual trust built between generations of leaders from Singapore and China formed the bedrock of bilateral relations. They commended the significant progress in bilateral cooperation over the past 35 years, underscored by the three Government-to-Government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin, and Chongqing.

The leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to further deepen the All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership between Singapore and China in areas such as the green and digital economies and financial services. Both leaders agreed to jointly develop a Singapore-China Third Country Training Programme focussed on government officials from ASEAN Member States and Timor-Leste, to support regional capacity building. Both sides reiterated their readiness to work together, along with other like-minded countries, to uphold the principles of free trade, multilateralism, and a rules-based international order.

Premier Li updated Prime Minister Wong on his priorities for China, including China’s ongoing economic reforms, and its focus on achieving high-quality development. Prime Minister Wong expressed confidence in China’s long-term economic development. Both leaders agreed on the importance of deepening mutual understanding and strengthening exchanges between government officials, as well as enhancing party-to-party engagements.

Prime Minister Wong and Premier Li also exchanged views on regional and international developments. Both leaders welcomed the strong momentum in the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and looked forward to signing the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade later this year.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Wong and Premier Li witnessed the signing of the following deliverables:

a. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Law of the Republic of Singapore and the Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China on Legal Talent Development

b. Letter of Intent (LOI) to Jointly Explore Establishing a Senior Officials Exchange Programme between Singapore and China

c. LOI to Develop a Third Country Training Programme between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore and the China International Development Cooperation Agency of the People’s Republic of China 

d. Data Exchange Agreement between the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and the National Intellectual Property Administration of the People’s Republic of China

Prime Minister Wong and Premier Li also took note of the launch of the China-Singapore over-the-counter (OTC) bond market arrangement. This enables selected Singapore-based banks to offer trading and custody services for onshore RMB bonds, and enhance international investors’ access to China’s bond market through Singapore.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
23 JUNE 2025