PM Lee and Chinas President Xi meet in Bangkok, reaffirm close ties

BANGKOK -Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Thursday evening in the Thai capital, where they reaffirmed the close and multi-faceted relationship between both countries.

The two leaders said Singapore and China have continued to strengthen cooperation, even amid the Covid-19 pandemic and evolving global challenges, said PM Lees press secretary Chang Li Lin following the meeting.

The leaders first in-person meeting in three years was also attended by Singapores Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

At the meeting, PM Lee congratulated Mr Xi on the successful conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), while Mr Xi updated PM Lee on the 20th CPC National Congress and his plans for Chinas development.

PM Lee and Mr Xi also exchanged views on bilateral relations, regional and international developments, including on the importance of maintaining stable US-China relations, added Ms Chang.

Mr Xi reiterated his invitation to PM Lee to visit China soon, and PM Lee also welcomed the Chinese President to visit Singapore again.

Both PM Lee and Mr Xi are in Bangkok to attend the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders Meeting, which takes place on Friday and Saturday.

The two leaders had arrived in Bangkok from Bali, Indonesia, where they had attended the Group of 20 Leaders Summit.

PM Lee and Mr Xi had last met in-person in April 2019 at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. They last spoke over the phone in October 2021 and discussed ways to jointly boost economic recovery.

Mr Xi has been holding a string of bilateral talks this month, on the sidelines of international summits in the region. He had earlier met US President Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Bali, among others. He is also scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Bangkok on Thursday. More On This Topic Reinvigorating Singapore-China ties through new areas of collaboration Singapore, China ink 14 deals as both seek to go green, tap tech