China's Foreign Ministry congratulates Singapore's new prime minister

A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry has extended congratulations to Lawrence Wong on his inauguration on Wednesday as Singapore's fourth prime minister, expressing the hope that bilateral ties can continue to make new progress during his tenure.

It's believed that under the leadership of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Singapore would continue to achieve new achievements in national building and economic and social development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, the spokesman said the new Singaporean leader has long supported cooperation between China and Singapore. Wong, 51, once served as the Singapore's chairman of the China-Singapore bilateral cooperation mechanism.

"We believe that relations of the two countries will continuously make new progress to bring more benefits to two peoples and contribute more to the peace, stability, growth and prosperity of the region," Wang added.

Wong took over from Lee Hsien Loong who had served as Singapore's prime minister since 2004 and left his post on Monday.

Calling Lee a senior leader and an old friend of the Chinese people, Wang said it's expected that Lee would continue to make positive contributions to the cause of friendship between China and Singapore.

China and Singapore upgraded their ties to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership during Lee's visit to China in March 2023.