Xie Yongde, President of Singapore China Association, visited Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries on May 19. Zhu Dan, Director General of the Cultural Exchange Department of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Ma Xu, a division head with the department, welcomed Xie.
Zhang Qian, Executive Vice President of the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, extended warm welcome to President Xie, who visited the association in person after the tour of council members of the Singapore China Association in February. Zhang said that Singapore is the country involving itself the most among Southeast Asian countries in China’s reform and opening up, thus maintaining closest relations with China. People of the two countries are naturally amiable with each other and the foundation for cultural exchanges is solid. People-to-people exchanges between the two countries will be advanced in a high-quality manner, and bring more tangible benefits to the people, Zhang said.
Xie said in retrospect, over the close to 33 years after Singapore and China established diplomatic relations, the two countries have been important partners. Singapore-China relations have been farsighted, strategic and demonstrative. Young people in Singapore are showing increasing interest in China, which presents unprecedented opportunities. He expressed hope that efforts can be made to foster a new generation of young Singaporeans who know China and are friendly with China through Chinese language education. In particular, mutually beneficial cooperation can be strengthened with the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to write a new chapter in China-Singapore friendship.
The two sides agreed that efforts will be made to strengthen exchanges of young people in the two countries, and promote cooperation in economic and trade, and megacity governance. The Singapore China Association will send a delegation to visit Beijing in the second half of 2023.
