DPM Lawrence Wong's Op-Ed for the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation

Read DPM Lawrence Wong's commentary in Chinese below.

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Tomorrow I will co-chair the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) with PRC Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Tianjin. The JCBC is the apex bilateral platform that reviews and sets the strategic direction for cooperation between Singapore and China. 

Over the decades, our two countries have built a broad and deep partnership. We have collaborated through the different phases of our respective developmental journeys, via our three Government-to-Government projects (the Suzhou Industrial Park, the Tianjin Eco-City, and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative); our state-level cooperation project, the Guangzhou Knowledge City; as well as our eight provincial business councils. In March this year, we took another major step forward by upgrading our relations to an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership” under the guidance of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Xi Jinping.

I have personally contributed to several of these cooperation projects. As Minister for National Development, I worked on the Tianjin Eco-City from 2015 to 2020. I also co-chaired the Singapore-Shanghai Comprehensive Cooperation Council from 2019 to 2022. I have seen first-hand the tremendous drive and energies of the Chinese people to develop their economy and society, and the good working relationship between Singapore and Chinese officials. Now, as co-Chair of the JCBC, I aim to chart the next phase of our relations together with Vice Premier Ding.

The 19th JCBC meeting will be held amidst an increasingly turbulent and uncertain wold. We face headwinds in the global economic outlook as well as the looming threat of climate change. There is much that Singapore and China can do to tackle these common challenges together, and to sustain high-quality growth and prosperity for our peoples. This will require us to renew and expand our economic links, reimagine our industries, and reinforce our close ties. 

Renew and Expand Our Economic Links 

For the past ten years, Singapore has been China’s largest foreign investor while China has been Singapore’s largest merchandise trading partner. These close economic ties, built up over the decades, reflect our confidence in each other. We should continue to find ways to renew and expand our economic links. We are pursuing more open and transparent rules for cross-border investment and trade in services through the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA). Through the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative – New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, we are also promoting stronger regional economic integration between Western China and Southeast Asia.
These linkages form a strong base for us to build on. We can strengthen our food security and supply chain resilience, as well as facilitate greater capital market flows and cross-border payments between China and Southeast Asia.

Reimagine Our Industries

We should also work together to reimagine our industries so that they remain competitive and future-ready, especially in new and emerging areas such as the green and digital economy, and other high-tech areas. 

Singapore and China have been working together on sustainability for many years. In fact, we started collaborating in this area long before sustainability gained traction on the global agenda. This year is the 15th anniversary of the Tianjin Eco-City. It has set new standards for sustainable development and eco-friendly urbanisation. We should draw valuable lessons from this project to promote resource-efficient and low-carbon urban solutions to other cities in China and across the region. There are also good opportunities in other aspects of sustainability, such as in green energy, finance, transport, and logistics.

There is scope for us to similarly deepen our collaboration in the digital economy. China is a global digital leader, with its digital economy making up a sizable portion of its GDP. Singapore is an ideal launchpad to Southeast Asia’s digital economy, which is one of the fastest growing in the world.  We can therefore be effective partners on digital standards and policies to facilitate cross-border commercial data flows and digital trade, and develop smart city solutions, including through the Singapore-China (Shenzhen) Smart City Initiative. 

We should leverage our mutual strengths in other emerging industries too. The Suzhou Industrial Park has been pursuing high-tech industries such as advanced manufacturing, biomedicine, and nanotechnology. The 30th anniversary of the Suzhou Industrial Park next year is an opportunity to take our collaboration to the next level.

Reinforce Our Close Ties 

Finally, even as we forge new economic links and work together to reimagine our industries, we should reinforce our people-to-people exchanges across all levels.  Be it regular exchanges between our officials and students, or facilitating cross-border tourism, these have all contributed to the deep sense of mutual understanding and trust between our peoples. There is more that we can do to foster such close ties, including strengthening our exchanges in tourism, education, research, training, and health.

Conclusion

Singapore and China share a close and multi-faceted relationship. I look forward to working with my fellow co-Chair to advance our bilateral cooperation in the areas I have highlighted and more. Despite our differences in size, history and context, our countries share many common aspirations and challenges. Working together, I am confident we can continue to contribute to each other’s growth, catalyse new opportunities in emerging areas, and forge a better future for both our peoples.

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明天，我将在天津和中国国务院副总理丁薛祥共同主持第19届新中双边合作联合委员会（Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation，简称JCBC）会议。新中两国将通过这个最高级别的双边合作平台，回顾合作成果并制定未来合作的战略方向。

这几十年来，新中两国建立了广泛且深厚的伙伴关系，并在各自发展道路上的不同阶段推进了各种合作项目。这包括三个政府间合作项目 —— 苏州工业园区、天津生态城和中新（重庆）战略性互联互通示范项目、一个国家级双边合作项目 —— 中新广州知识城，以及八个省市经贸理事会。今年3月，在李显龙总理和中国国家主席习近平的指导下，两国关系又向前迈进了一大步，升级为“全方位高质量的前瞻性伙伴关系”。

我也亲身参与了其中一些合作项目。2015年至2020年，我以国家发展部长的身份参与了天津生态城的发展工作。2019年至2022年，我也担任了新加坡—上海市全面合作理事会的联合主席。过程中，我亲眼见证了中国人民为推动经济和社会发展所展现的雄心与壮志，以及新中两国官员之间的友好合作关系。现在，作为JCBC的联合主席，我期待同丁副总理携手规划两国关系下一阶段的发展。

本次会议将在国际局势日益动荡且多变的大背景下召开。目前，全球经济面临逆风，我们也面临气候变化带来的严峻危机。在携手应对这些共同挑战，以及维持经济发展与繁荣来造福两国人民方面，新中两国仍有许多合作的空间。为此，我们就必须更新并扩大与彼此的经济联系，重塑我们的产业格局，并进一步巩固两国密切的关系。

更新并扩大经济联系

过去十年，新加坡一直是中国最大的外来投资国，而中国则是新加坡最大的商品贸易伙伴。两国数十年来在经济领域所建立起的紧密联系，凸显了我们对彼此的信心。我们应该继续设法更新并扩大我们的经济联系。两国正通过新中自由贸易协定，为跨境投资和服务贸易制定更开放和透明的规则。此外，双方也通过中新（重庆）战略性互联互通示范项目旗下的国际陆海贸易新通道，在中国西部与东南亚之间推进区域经济一体化。

我们可以在这些联系所奠定的坚实基础上拓展合作领域，包括加强粮食与食品安全和供应链韧性，以及促进中国与东南亚之间的资本市场流动性和让跨境支付更便捷。

重塑产业格局

我们也应该携手重塑我们的产业格局，尤其是将注意力集中在绿色和数码经济等新兴领域，以及其他高科技领域上。这样，我们的产业才能保持竞争力，并且为将来做好准备。
新中两国已经在永续发展方面有多年的合作。早在全球开始密切关注永续发展这一课题之前，两国就已经展开了这方面的合作。今年适逢天津生态城开发建设15周年，该园区为永续和绿色城市发展定下了新标准。我们应该从这个项目汲取宝贵经验，将有效利用资源和低碳的发展方案，推广到中国其他城市乃至区域各地。此外，绿色能源、金融、交通和物流，以及其他的永续发展领域，也提供了许多合作良机。 

除此之外，新中两国也能在数码经济方面深化合作关系。中国引领全球数码化进程，数码经济在其国内生产总值（GDP）当中占有相当可观的比重。东南亚则是全球数码经济增长最快的地区之一，而新加坡是进军东南亚数码经济领域的最佳跳板。因此，两国可以通过有效合作，制定数码标准和政策，以促进跨境商业数据流通和数码贸易，也可携手通过新中（深圳）智慧城市倡议等合作项目，制定智慧城市解决方案。

我们也应该在其他新兴领域借助彼此的优势展开合作。两国共同开发的苏州工业园区不断发展高科技产业，例如先进制造业、生物医药，以及纳米科技等。明年适逢园区开发建设30周年，正是两国提升合作层次的好时机。

巩固两国密切关系

最后，在扩大经济联系和携手重塑产业格局的同时，我们也要加强两国在各个层面的交流互动。无论是提倡两国官员或学生之间的交流，还是促进跨境旅游，这些往来与互动都有助于加深两国人民的相互了解和信任。我们在促进人民之间的紧密联系方面还能做得更多，例如加强两国在旅游、教育、研究、培训和医疗卫生等领域的合作与交流。

结语

新加坡和中国有着紧密而多元的合作关系。我期待能与JCBC联合主席丁副总理一起在上述领域及其他方面，推进更多的双边合作项目。尽管两国的国土面积、历史和国情都有所不同，但我们有着许多相同的理想，也面对许多共同的挑战。我有信心，新中两国能凝聚共识、携手合作，以促进彼此的增长，在新兴领域创造新机遇，为两国人民打造更美好的未来。