[SINGAPORE] Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong is making a five-day working visit to China from Sunday (Aug 31), during which he will meet with his counterparts and attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II (WWII).
This will be his first visit to China since becoming deputy prime minister. He will visit Guangzhou, Shenzhen and the capital Beijing from Aug 31 to Sep 4, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
His trip comes about two months after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong made an official visit to Beijing and Tianjin at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
DPM Gan, who is also minister for trade and industry, is expected to meet a range of counterparts to “discuss new avenues to strengthen the bilateral partnership and exchange views on regional and international developments”, PMO said.
His visit coincides with a series of commemorative bilateral milestones this year, including the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the 15th anniversary of the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (CSGKC).
In Guangzhou, he will meet with Governor of Guangdong Wang Weizhong and visit the CSGKC, where he will engage Singapore companies based there.
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The township spans 232 square kilometres and hosts more than 50 Singapore companies, many of which are eyeing expansion in Guangdong and the Greater Bay Area.
In Shenzhen, he will meet with the Chinese Communist Party’s Secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee Meng Fanli; visit Chinese companies; and meet overseas Singaporeans at an evening reception.
On Sep 3, at China’s invitation, DPM Gan will attend commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII.
The following day, he is expected to meet Vice-President Han Zheng, Vice-Premier He Lifeng, and his counterpart, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao.
DPM Gan will be accompanied by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling, as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Trade and Industry.
His last visits to China were in 2023: one trip with then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, and another with then-DPM Lawrence Wong. That year, Singapore and China upgraded relations to an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership”.
Merchandise trade between both countries reached S$170.2 billion last year, extending China’s position as Singapore’s largest merchandise trading partner for more than a decade.
China was also the city-state’s third-largest services trading partner in 2023, with services trade hitting S$64.9 billion in value.
Meanwhile, Singapore is China’s largest foreign investor. On the tourism front, Singapore received 3.08 million Chinese visitors last year.
