13-9-2023 (BEIJING) Mr. Chan Chun Sing emphasized the need for nations to come together and “build bridges, not walls” to address common challenges, ranging from pandemics to climate change, during his address in Beijing on Tuesday. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Singapore-China Forum on Leadership, he called for the development of a “multi-dimensional global cooperation system” in which all countries, regardless of size, adhere to established rules and collaborate through new structures to enhance the effectiveness of cross-border problem-solving.
Chan, who also serves as the Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, highlighted the importance of Singapore and China creating more inclusive and resilient supply chains to facilitate the movement of goods, services, and people. He stressed the need to uphold global standards for an open and integrated global economy.
Both nations have recently upgraded their bilateral relationship, offering opportunities for deeper collaboration. Singapore, acting as an economic bridge between East and West, can strengthen its partnership with China. Chan encouraged both countries to embed themselves in the global value chain with a forward-looking perspective, capturing new growth opportunities such as digitalization and sustainability.
He also underscored the significance of building trust between individuals, governments, and the people, emphasizing that trust is essential for progress. Chan advocated tapping into the history of human resource development and people-to-people exchange to strengthen the foundation of the Singapore-China relationship.
The Singapore-China Forum on Leadership, which provides a platform for political leaders and senior officials from both countries to discuss common leadership challenges, is being held in-person for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his remarks at the forum, Mr. Li Ganjie, Minister of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Organization Department (COD), noted that China, like Singapore, is considered one of the world’s safest countries. He expressed China’s commitment to peaceful development, modernization, and multilateralism, acknowledging the need for increased cooperation to tackle shared challenges.
China is eager to collaborate with Singapore in future-oriented services and industries to reap the benefits of modernization for both countries. The forum’s keynote speeches were followed by addresses from other distinguished speakers, including Mr. Xie Chuntao, executive vice-president of the CPC Central Party School, and Mrs. Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information, who discussed the fundamentals of good governance and the evolving nature of the government’s approach to meet changing needs.
The Singapore delegation, led by Mr. Chan, is on a four-day visit to China, during which they visited the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei province, a forward-looking development aimed at easing overcrowding in Beijing and promoting regional development.
