Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam has reaffirmed the committment of his country to continue to strenghten ties with China when he met with Chinese leaders on Friday. Dr. Tan, who is on his first official visit to China, met with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Yu Zhengsheng.

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While meeting with President Xi in the Great Hall of the People, Tan noted that the close cooperation between his country and China has produced many good results. He further said that Singapore is ready to continue develop bilateral ties with China and deepen the cooperation between the two countries in several areas, Xinhua reported.

President Xi also expressed the willingness of the Chinese government to cooperate with Singapore. He particularly called for the free trade agreement between both nations to be upgraded and hailed the work being done regarding a joint project between both countries in western China. 

He also stressed that both countries should pursue close military cooperation and explained that China is willing to work peacefully with other ASEAN countries on projects like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Dr. Tan, who expressed confidence in the AIIB, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, noted that these intiatives will benefit the entire region. 

During their meeting, both leaders oversaw the signing of three cooperative agreements to facilitate knowledge sharing on governance and development. The agreements also set the stage for both nations to collaborate on joint research programmes, according to Channel News Asia.

While meeting with Yu to mark the 25th anniversary of the relationship between both nations, Dr. Tan said that exchanges between Chinese and Singaporean people ensures that the ties between both nations continues to grow. He called for more innovative collaboration between the two countries. 

Yu, who said that the relationship between China and Singapore serves as a model for cooperation with other ASEAN countries, praised the progress the collaboration between both nations has brought in several areas including education, human resource management, technology and environmental protection.

Dr. Tan presented a cheque of S$800,000 to officials for victims of the 2014 earthquake in Yunnan Province. He also received a doctorate degree from Nankai University for his contribution to the bilaterial ties between both nations.  

China and Singapore established ties in 1990. Although both nations have collaborated through the years, experts say the relationship between China and Singapore has developed rapidly over the past decade. Currently, China is Singapore's foremost trading partner and experts say of all the ASEAN countries, Singapore is China's number one ally on development. 

TagsChina-Singapore, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), ASEAN nations, China-Singapore 25th Anniversary of Bilateral Ties