MFA Press Statement: Meeting Between Minister George Yeo and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing, 17 May 2008

Minister George Yeo and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met on 17 May 2008 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

Minister George Yeo expressed the condolences of the Singapore government over the earthquake in Sichuan. Foreign Minister Yang thanked Singapore for the condolence messages from President S R Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as the assistance from the government and people of Singapore. Foreign Minister Yang also noted that Singapore's Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) contingent was among the first batch of foreign teams in China.

Both Foreign Ministers expressed satisfaction about the close bilateral relationship and discussed new areas of cooperation. They agreed that it was important to keep up the momentum of high-level exchanges. In this regard, they welcomed the visits by President Nathan and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew to the Beijing Olympic Games in August, the meetings of the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation and the Joint Steering Committees of the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Tianjin Eco-City, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's visit to China for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Tianjin Eco-City, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's visit to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit in Beijing in October.

Both Foreign Ministers also exchanged views on recent regional developments. Foreign Minister Yang welcomed the Special ASEAN Ministers Meeting on Cyclone Nargis to be held in Singapore on 19 May 2008. Foreign Minister Yang expressed China's appreciation for ASEAN's role in this issue.

Minister George Yeo congratulated Foreign Minister Yang for Chinese President Hu Jintao's successful visit to Japan and stressed the importance of good Sino-Japanese relations for the entire region.

The two Foreign Ministers also had a brief discussion on cross-strait relations. Minister George Yeo reiterated Singapore's one-China policy and expressed the hope that both sides use the opportunity created by the changed circumstances in Taiwan to improve cross-strait relations.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
17 MAY 2008