MFA Press Statement: President Tony Tan Keng Yam’s State Visit to the People’s Republic of China, 29 June to 4 July 2015

        President Tony Tan Keng Yam will make a State Visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from 29 June to 4 July 2015, at the invitation of PRC President Xi Jinping.  This is President Tan’s first State Visit to China.  The visit will showcase our broad, deep and multifaceted relations with China as we  commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Singapore and China. 

        President Tan will visit Beijing and Tianjin.  In Beijing, President Tan will attend a Welcome Ceremony, followed by a meeting with and a State Banquet hosted by President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People.  Both Presidents will witness a signing ceremony for bilateral agreements in the areas of education and research cooperation.  President Tan will also have separate meetings with Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Yu Zhengsheng. 

        President Tan and CPPCC Chairman Yu will be the Guests-of-Honour at the Reception Commemorating the 25^th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Singapore and China at the Great Hall of the People.  During the reception, President Tan and Chairman Yu will witness a cheque handing-over ceremony for a charity project initiated by the Singaporean community in China in support of Ludian County, Yunnan Province, which was struck by a devastating earthquake in August 2014.  They will also unveil the winning entries of a postcard photography competition held in conjunction with the 25^th anniversary celebrations.  As part of Singapore’s SG50 outreach, President Tan will also meet with Singaporeans living in China at an Overseas Singaporean reception.  In addition, President and Mrs Mary Tan will be presenting a collection of 300 Singapore-themed books to the National Library of China under the National Library Board of Singapore’s SG50 Gift of Books project. 

        In Tianjin, President Tan will meet and be hosted to a meal by Tianjin Acting Party Secretary and Mayor Huang Xingguo.  President Tan will also be conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Nankai University in recognition of his contributions to Singapore-China relations.  This is the second time that a Singapore leader has been conferred with such an honour.^[1]  President Tan will also visit the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, Singapore’s second Government-to-Government project with China, which aims to be a thriving city that is socially harmonious, environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient. 

        President Tan will be accompanied by Mrs Mary Tan; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu; Senior Minister of State for National Development and Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry Lee Yi Shyan; Members of Parliament Mr Hri Kumar Nair and Mr Liang Eng Hwa; and officials from the President’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of National Development.    

      During President Tan’s absence, Mr J Y Pillay, Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers, will exercise the functions of the office of the President for the period of 29 June to 4 July 2015.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

29 JUNE 2015

[1]           Then Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by Fudan University in 2005.