Working Visit of Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat to Beijing, the People's Republic of China, 26 March 2025

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat is currently in Beijing on a working visit.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng met Vice President Han Zheng. Deputy Prime Minister Heng and Vice President Han took stock of the wide-ranging cooperation between Singapore and China across both traditional and emerging domains. They welcomed key bilateral milestones this year, such as the 35^th anniversary of diplomatic relations. They also had an exchange of views on both countries’ socio-economic policies, and discussed global and regional developments.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng was the Guest-of-Honour at the Zaobao Online 30^th Anniversary Launch event. Deputy Prime Minister Heng congratulated Lianhe Zaobao on the success it has achieved over the past 30 years of its online publication. Deputy Prime Minister Heng also participated in a dialogue session where he spoke about how countries could work together to address challenges posed by ageing populations, in line with the theme of the event.

In addition, Deputy Prime Minister Heng visited the National Library of China (NLC) and witnessed the presentation of a set of 60 books as part of the National Library Board’s (NLB) Gift of Books project in celebration of SG60. NLB and the NLC also concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which will facilitate Singapore’s loaning of Ming and Qing dynasties’ literary classics from China to be exhibited in Singapore. Such initiatives reflect the strong momentum of cultural exchanges between Singapore and China as both sides commemorate the 35^th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

26 MARCH 2025