Preface/PREFACE
October 3, 2020, is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore. Over the past 30 years, leaders of China and Singapore have participated in and witnessed all-round exchanges and cooperation in the political, economic, social, and cultural fields between the two sides. China has been Singapore’s largest trading partner since 2013. There are currently three deputy prime minister-level cooperation mechanisms and three intergovernmental cooperation projects between China and Singapore. The two countries have frequent high-level exchanges and continued in-depth cooperation.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Digital Intelligence Viewpoint sorts out the important nodes of exchanges and cooperation between the two countries for you, and takes a look at the development process of China-Singapore cooperation.
August 9, 1965
▲Related reports from Singapore’s Straits Times and Chinese newspapers
Singapore became independent from the Federation of Malaysia. In his memoirs, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew mentioned the 90-word declaration read out that day, “… I, Lee Kuan Yew, in the name of the Prime Minister of Singapore, on behalf of the people and government of Singapore, declare that from August 9, 1965, Singapore will always be an autonomous, independent and democratic country under the principles of freedom, justice and fairness…”
November 12, 1978
▲Photo source: Xinhuanet
Deng Xiaoping, then Vice Premier of the State Council, paid a friendly visit to Singapore at the invitation of Lee Kuan Yew, then Prime Minister of Singapore, laying the foundation for the frequent interactions between the two countries after the formal establishment of diplomatic relations.
October 3, 1990
▲Photo source: Xinhuanet
Then Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen (left) and then Singaporean Foreign Minister Wong Kan Seng signed the China-Singapore Formal Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Communiqué at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, announcing the formal establishment of diplomatic relations. After signing, the two shook hands to express congratulations.
▲On October 15 of the same year, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore held a flag-raising ceremony to mark its opening. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yongming
April 27, 1993
▲Wang Daohan, Chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, and Gu Zhenfu, Chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, shake hands at the negotiation table. Image source: People’s Education Press
Lee Kuan Yew said in his book “Lee Kuan Yew’s View of the World”: “The reunification of Taiwan and the mainland is a matter of time, which cannot be stopped by any country.” Under his promotion, the first “Wang-Guo Talks” was held in Singapore in 1993. This was the highest-level meeting between high-level officials from both sides of the Taiwan Strait in the name of the private sector since 1949, and cross-strait relations took a historic step forward.
February 26, 1994
China and Singapore signed the agreement at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing《Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Singapore on the Joint Development and Construction of Suzhou Industrial Park,》，
The then Vice Premier Li Lanqing and then Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew signed on behalf of the two governments, and the then Premier Li Peng and then Singapore’s Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong witnessed the signing.
According to the evaluation results of the comprehensive development level of national economic and technological development zones in 2019 released by the Ministry of Commerce, the current annual GDP of Suzhou Industrial Park exceeds 200 billion yuan, and its comprehensive development level has ranked first among national economic and technological development zones for four consecutive years.
November 18, 2007
▲图片来源：中新天津生态城投资开发有限公司
The then Premier of the State Council Wen Jiabao and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong represented the two countries Signed a framework agreement for the construction of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City。
This is the second intergovernmental cooperation project between China and Singapore, and the world’s first intergovernmental eco-city. Construction officially started on September 28, 2008. Currently, the 8 square kilometer starting area has been basically completed, with a residential and working population of more than 100,000. After completion, the 30 square kilometer eco-city will become a modern sustainable development city that can accommodate 350,000 residents.
October 23, 2008
China and Singapore signed a free trade agreement in Beijing, which officially came into effect on January 1, 2009. This is a milestone in the development of China-Singapore bilateral relations and lays a solid foundation for the formal establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.
▲Image source: ChinaDaily
On November 12, 2018, the “Protocol on Upgrading the Free Trade Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Singapore” was officially signed in Singapore under the witness of then Premier Li Keqiang and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and officially came into effect on October 16, 2019. Upgrading the original six areas and adding three new areas such as e-commerce, competition policy and environment will help promote greater development of bilateral economic and trade relations.
November 6-7, 2015
▲ President Xi Jinping meets with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xueren
Following Singaporean President Tony Tan’s state visit to China in mid-2015, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Singapore in November 2015, realizing mutual visits between the leaders of the two countries to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore.
Witnessed by General Secretary Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong，China and Singapore signed the “Framework Agreement on the Construction of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Strategic Connectivity Demonstration Project”，
Focusing on four major areas: financial services, aviation industry, transportation and logistics, and information and communications, the total amount of signed cooperation projects has reached US$32 billion, with a landing rate of over 90%.
September 11, 2019
▲Opening ceremony of the China-Singapore Data Channel
An important landmark project of the China-Singapore Connectivity Project——China-Singapore (Chongqing) International Internet Data Dedicated Channel Officially opened in Singapore. This is China’s first point-to-point international data dedicated channel for a single country, with the characteristics of “high speed”, “large bandwidth”, “low latency” and “high reliability”. The performance advantages are very obvious, providing important communication guarantees for in-depth business cooperation between Chinese and Singaporean companies.
September 15-17, 2020
Singapore participated in the 2020 Online Smart China Expo as a co-organizer for the first time. The Singapore branch venue was connected to the Chongqing main venue in real time through the China-Singapore (Chongqing) International Internet Data Dedicated Channel and opened online simultaneously. China-Singapore cooperation in the field of digital economy is becoming increasingly in-depth, and the China-Singapore data channel has played an important role when conventional bilateral exchanges are restricted.
At present, the global political and economic situation has been affected by the epidemic, and its stability has decreased compared with the past. The celebrations of the “30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations” between China and Singapore are also more low-key. Against this background, China and Singapore should strengthen economic and trade cooperation, use digital technology to promote the gradual resumption of conventional interactions between the two countries in politics, economy, culture, and society, and work together to overcome the huge challenges brought by the epidemic.
China-Singapore (Chongqing) Information and Communication Innovation Cooperation Alliance
China-Singapore Alliance It was jointly initiated and established on August 26, 2019, under the guidance of Chongqing Big Data Application Development Authority and Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), led by Chongqing Science and Technology Service Market Co., Ltd. and Singapore SGTech. The China-Singapore Alliance provides extensive information resources and efficient docking channels for the implementation of project cooperation between Chongqing and Singapore, and provides precise services for the cooperation between the two sides.
China-Singapore Data Channel International Roadshow Release and Industry Transformation Center
Roadshow Center It was built by Chongqing Science and Technology Service Market Co., Ltd., the Chinese chairman unit of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Information and Communication Innovation Cooperation Alliance, and was officially unveiled on September 15, 2020. Relying on the online “China-Singapore Data Communication” Singapore Enterprise One-Stop Enterprise Cloud Service Platform and the offline China-Singapore Enterprise Comprehensive Service Center, it builds a comprehensive service system combining online and offline for Chinese and Singaporean enterprises, and also provides strong support for the development of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Strategic Interconnection Demonstration Project and the application of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) International Internet Data Dedicated Channel.
