China, Singapore set priorities for future cooperation

SINGAPORE - China and Singapore on Thursday set priorities for future cooperation and agreed to promote cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The pledge came out of a series of high-level cooperative meetings co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng and Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean in the island city-state.

The meetings include the 14th China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation Meeting, the 19th China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council Meeting, the 10th China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council Meeting, and the Second China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Joint Steering Council Meeting.

The meetings reviewed the implementation of consensus reached by the leaderships of the two countries and the process of bilateral cooperation in several areas.

Both sides had in-depth discussions on issues such as the Belt and Road construction, economic transition, financial cooperation, cultural exchanges, and inclusive and sustainable development, setting priorities for future cooperation.

Both sides hailed the new progress on exploring high-level opening up and innovation and promoting green and sustainable development and connectivity in the three major cooperative projects, namely the Suzhou Industrial Park, the Tianjin Eco-City and the Chongqing Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity, reaffirming both governments' support for the three projects and the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City.

Both agreed that the Belt and Road cooperation has brought great opportunities to the development of China-Singapore ties, calling for efforts to enhance top-down planning and speed up Belt and Road cooperation from a strategic height and long-term perspective.

Both sides also called for better connectivity, financial support and third-party cooperation, pledging to make the construction of China-Singapore land and maritime corridor and third-party cooperation as new highlights of bilateral cooperation.

The two countries announced the launching of negotiations of Treaty on Criminal Judicial Assistance so as to provide legal assurance to the Belt and Road cooperation.

After the meetings, Han and Teo attended the signing ceremony of agreements on innovation, experience sharing, personnel training and culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Han arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for a three-day visit. He is scheduled to meet Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong respectively on Friday.