<div id="readability-page-1"><div>{SINGAPORE] While Singapore and China have different priorities and interests, the two countries continue to find areas of common interest and create opportunities for investors and businesses, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Monday (Dec 15).This includes exploring new areas for collaboration via three existing government-to-government projects: the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), Tianjin Eco-City and Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI).Such projects “provide opportunities for many of our businesses to expand their investments to China”, said DPM Gan, in a hybrid-format wrap-up panel interview with Singapore media.Earlier that day, Singapore and China held joint steering council meetings for the three projects. This followed talks for the 21st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), which DPM Gan co-chaired alongside his Chinese counterpart, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, as well as a bilateral meeting.Discussions covered ways to extend the CCI’s strengths of connectivity and services to areas such as green growth, digital transformation and supply-chain resilience, said DPM Gan.Both sides also discussed extending the CCI to new markets such as central Asia, and having new business, trade and logistics flows, he added.While the 27 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) struck at this year’s JCBC marked a new record, the collaboration is measured by quality rather than quantity, said DPM Gan.The deals go beyond economics – covering people-to-people exchanges, cultural exchange, education and sports – and are “truly reflective” of Singapore’s “all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership”, he added.<h2>From finance to food</h2>DPM Gan noted the financial connectivity initiatives – from a secondary listing framework to a pilot for a Chinese yuan e-wallet for Singaporeans – in which “investors would be interested”.“These initiatives will deepen financial connectivity between Singapore and China, boost Singapore’s status as a financial hub and support our growth in trade, investment and people-to-people engagements,” he said.In education, he highlighted university partnerships in areas such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences and health and artificial intelligence, in line with Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 priorities.Four other ministers were on the interview panel: Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo; Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng; Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Zaqy Mohamad; and Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling. They each provided details of agreements and MOUs exchanged on Monday.For instance, Teo highlighted the achievements of the CCI-New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic trade corridor linking western China with South-east Asia and the rest of the world.It is now being extended to central Asia, and gaining a digital component. Noting the CCI’s flexibility, she said this enables both sides “to explore other emerging areas that turn out to be fruitful”.She also gave an update on the Joint Innovation Development Fund, which has funded 17 joint projects since its 2019 launch.The fund will grow to 100 million yuan from 40 million yuan now; it will also cover new areas such as green projects and support joint projects in locations beyond Singapore and Chongqing.Dr Tan, who is also minister-in-charge of energy and science and technology, named energy as an area of continued cooperation, including exploring marine energy and China’s participation in the Asean Power Grid.Both countries will also work together in science, technology and innovation, specifically in the key areas of health, clean energy, water and environment.Both sides will extend support for projects under grant calls in areas such as pandemic preparedness and ageing, as well as expand co-innovation programmes for green development cooperation.Meanwhile, food exports from China to Singapore grew by about 36 per cent to S$1.5 billion in 2024, from S$1.1 billion in 2022, noted Zaqy.Singapore’s agriculture exports to China have also gone up, to S$1.9 billion in 2024 from S$1.4 billion in 2022.Highlighting agreements that would facilitate the export of processed meat products, Zaqy said: “There’s certainly mutual interest for us to expand market access, not just from China to Singapore, as a hub, (but also) for Singapore food manufacturers to expand to China and gain market access to various cities and provinces.” In sports, Low noted an agreement for direct links between both countries’ sports associations, to exchange best practices in training, coaching and development.DPM Gan noted that Singapore and China’s partnership is built on 35 years of trust and understanding, going beyond personal relationships between leaders.“I think it’s this whole journey of working together, growing together, developing together, building trust and understanding with each other, generation after generation, that has culminated in today’s collaboration,” he said.</div></div>

INTR

Singapore and China continue to strengthen their partnership by exploring new areas for collaboration, including government-to-government projects like the Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-City, and Chongqing Connectivity Initiative. These initiatives aim to enhance financial connectivity, trade, and investment, while also focusing on education, green growth, and digital transformation. The partnership, built on 35 years of trust, is marked by 27 new agreements covering various sectors, reflecting a high-quality, future-oriented collaboration.

Singapore, China continue to find common interests, create investment opportunities: DPM Gan