DPM Gan to head to Chongqing for high-level Singapore-China talks

CHONGQING – Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong is set to be in the south-western Chinese city of Chongqing on Dec 15 for Singapore’s top annual meetings with China, as both sides seek broader and deeper cooperation.

Together with Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, he will co-chair the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the apex platform that reviews substantive collaboration between both countries, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Dec 12.

Separately, both leaders will also review progress on the three flagship government-to-government projects –

the Suzhou Industrial Park

(SIP), Tianjin Eco-City (TEC) and Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) – and discuss ways to further deepen cooperation.

Singapore and China

celebrated 35 years of diplomatic ties

in 2025. What began as a trade- and investment-focused relationship has grown into a multifaceted partnership spanning green and digital innovation, finance, governance, education, healthcare and food security.

The year 2025 also marks the 10th anniversary of the CCI, which, unlike the SIP and TEC, is not a physical township project but a platform for collaboration with Singapore to strengthen connectivity between western China and South-east Asia.

Chongqing – China’s largest city with 31.9 million residents – is a major logistics hub and a key node in President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, his signature infrastructure drive underpinning the country’s growing global influence.

Singapore’s investments in Chongqing have more than doubled since 2015 – the year the CCI was launched – rising from US$5.7 billion to US$12.7 billion (S$16.4 billion) in 2024.

An offshoot of the CCI is the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a rail-sea multimodal transportation route that moves cargo by rail from Chongqing to Qinzhou port in southern China’s Guangxi autonomous region, before shipping it to Singapore and beyond – and vice versa. 

“The CCI has strengthened connectivity between our countries in areas such as financial and digital services, and facilitated broader cooperation between western China and the region,” the PMO said.

This is DPM Gan’s second visit to China in four months. His last trip began in late August with stops in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, before he travelled to Beijing

for the Sept 3 Victory Day parade

marking the end of World War II.

In addition to the JCBC-related meetings, DPM Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, will visit CCI sites and join Mr Ding for the anniversary celebrations. He is also expected to meet Chongqing’s Communist Party chief Yuan Jiajun.

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Education Minister Desmond Lee and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng will accompany DPM Gan on the trip. They will be joined by senior ministers of state Zaqy Mohamad, Tan Kiat How, Low Yen Ling and Sun Xueling.

Singapore and China take turns hosting the JCBC. In 2024, DPM Gan invited Mr Ding to Singapore

for the annual talks

; now Mr Ding has invited him to China for 2025’s edition.

Both countries exchanged high-level visits earlier in 2025. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong

travelled to China in June

, his first introductory overseas visit beyond South-east Asia since taking office, while Premier Li Qiang

came to Singapore in October

.