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BEIJING: Countries need to “build bridges and not walls” in order to navigate the many shared challenges in a highly interconnected world, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing said during his four-day visit to China, which ends on Wednesday (Sep 13).

He called for closer international cooperation, and urged nations to play their roles in upholding and shaping the global rules in order to collectively progress ahead.

“We must work towards developing a multi-dimensional global cooperation system,” Mr Chan said on Tuesday during the opening ceremony of the Singapore-China Forum on Leadership in Beijing.

“(This is a) system that is anchored by the rules-based multilateral system, where all countries, big and small, play by the rules, have an interest to upkeep the rules and continuously refresh the rules for the new and emerging challenges.”

Mr Chan, who is also Singapore’s Education Minister, added that the system needs to be backed by new structures and greater cross-border cooperation to strengthen the speed and effectiveness of global action to address transboundary challenges, including disease outbreaks and climate change.  

On the economic front, he said that resilience is best achieved through diversification and interdependence, urging a push for global integration through the strengthening of multilateralism and the upholding of an international rules-based order.

Projects between Singapore’s and China’s governments can be “refreshed” to spearhead new growth, evolving beyond local and regional levels to include international partnerships, Mr Chan said during the bilateral leadership forum.

He said projects such as the Suzhou Industrial Park, the Tianjin Eco-city and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative, have enabled both countries to support each other’s development through cooperation and knowledge exchange.

Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing speaks during the opening ceremony of the Singapore-China Forum on Leadership in Beijing on Sep 12, 2023.

“Looking ahead, these government-to-government projects can be refreshed to trail blaze new development models of high-quality growth and experiment innovative approaches of governance,” he said.

For instance, the Tianjin Eco-city project had focused on sustainable urban planning and development in the past 15 years.

Mr Chan said the next phase can see it become a model for high quality, low carbon growth, such as serving as an incubator of new low carbon innovations, start-ups and firms, and as a centre for sustainability related technology.

“Tianjin has great potential to build a vibrant port economy and catalyse the growth of the whole Jing-Jin-Ji area,” he said.

“The benefits of achieving this are not just limited to Tianjin, but it will go beyond Tianjin to many other places in China, and beyond.”

Both sides are also exploring tie-ups in green and digital shipping.

China is Singapore’s largest trading partner, while Singapore has been China’s largest foreign investor since 2013.

SINGAPORE-CHINA BILATERAL TIES

Held since 2009, the Singapore-China Forum on Leadership is a strategic platform for political leaders and senior officials from both countries to discuss and exchange experiences on common challenges related to leadership development.

Singapore and China take turns to host the leadership forum and this was the first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore's Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing, and Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo, pose for a picture with Li Ganjie (C),…see more

Mr Chan was co-chairing the forum – into its ninth edition – for the second time. He co-hosted the event with his Chinese counterpart, Communist Party Politburo member Li Ganjie, who is also the minister of the party’s Central Committee Organisation Department, in charge of personnel appointments.  

Earlier this week, Mr Chan visited the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei province, about 100 km from Beijing.

It is touted as the “city of the future”, and is positioned to relieve the Chinese capital of some non-essential functions, as well as to boost development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area.

Mr Chan’s visit follows a series of high-level official visits by leaders from both sides to each other’s countries this year.

Singapore and China upgraded relations to an All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in March earlier this year.

Mr Chan said bilateral relations between Singapore and China “have grown from strength to strength”, adding that both sides can tap on the upgraded relationship to explore new solutions and deepen collaboration in areas such as digital and green economies, food security, financial market, air connectivity and environmental sustainability.

TRUST AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Mr Chan said that trust is key in enhancing opportunities and collaboration for the next generations of both nations.

“We can further strengthen the foundation by tapping on our history in human resource development and people-to-people exchange; and enhance the opportunities for our next generations to grow together,” he said. 

Singapore's Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing, and Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo, attend the 9th Singapore-China Forum on…see more

Singapore's Communication and Information Minister Josephine Teo, who was part of the delegation to China, spoke about good governance and said a country's approach must evolve with its citizens.

She added that Singapore’s government has been more collaborative in fostering greater trust and inter-agency support with citizens.

“We will face more complex challenges, from climate change to market risks. We must continue to harness the power of collaboration across the public, people and private sectors, to remain agile as a nation,” she said.

“Only by fostering an environment where mutual support, continuous learning, and improvement is encouraged, will we have a chance at keeping our governance relevant."