Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang meets President Tharman, PM Wong

CHINESE Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, who is on a two-day visit to Singapore, had separate meetings with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong on Monday (Nov 11).

On the same day, Ding co-chaired the 20th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, the apex forum for bilateral cooperation, and related meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.

Ding was hosted to a welcome dinner by Gan, who is also the Trade and Industry Minister, on Sunday (Nov 10), where he was served cereal-crusted barramundi cooked with salted egg. 

Barramundi farmed in Singapore will be available in China after both sides signed a protocol on Nov 10 that allows Singapore to export six kinds of locally farmed fish and fish products to China.

Separately, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean hosted Ding to lunch on Monday.

During their engagements, the leaders from both sides reaffirmed the longstanding and substantive relations between Singapore and China, according to a statement by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The leaders also welcomed the positive momentum of both countries’ wide-ranging and forward-looking cooperation, from trade and economic links and digital and financial connectivity to sustainability, innovation, food and agriculture, legal and judicial cooperation, education, health and people-to-people exchanges. 

Both sides agreed to continue strengthening cooperation in line with the respective development priorities of the two countries, the statement said.

The leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues, including challenges facing the global economy. THE STRAITS TIMES