SINGAPORE - Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will make an official visit to China from Oct 26 to 28 at the invitation of China's Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.
DPM Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, will visit Suzhou in Jiangsu Province from Oct 26 to 27 to co-chair the 11th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting with Vice Premier Zhang.
The JCBC is an annual high-level bilateral platform to discuss ways to deepen and broaden Singapore-China cooperation. The 11th JCBC will be held in Suzhou in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park.
DPM Teo and Vice Premier Zhang will also co-chair the 16th China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council and the 7th Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council meetings. They will review the progress made on the two flagship Government-to-Government projects and discuss the direction of future cooperation.
In Suzhou, DPM Teo will be hosted to a welcome dinner by Mr Zhang, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Separately, Mr Teo will meet Jiangsu Governor Li Xueyong and Suzhou Party Secretary Shi Taifeng, who will host him to lunch and dinner respectively.
Mr Teo will also visit the National University of Singapore (Suzhou) Research Institute to understand bilateral cooperation in new areas such as research and development, policy studies, as well as other emerging areas.
DPM Teo will travel to Beijing on Oct 28, where he will have separate meetings with Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission General Fan Changlong, as well as State Councillor Yang Jiechi.
Mr Teo will be accompanied by Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Grace Fu, Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo and Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck. The delegation also includes senior officials from various ministries and agencies.
