Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to the three countries from Thursday to Sunday.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia this week, Beijing said on Wednesday as it seeks to build ties in the region.
Mr Wang, who returned to the post in July disappearance of his predecessor Qin Gang,
“China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with the three South-east Asian countries through this visit,” it said.
Mr Wang will separately call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in Singapore, the Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. Also, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will host Mr Wang for dinner.
Cambodia has become one of China’s strongest allies in the region under the rule of outgoing Prime Minister Hun Sen, receiving huge sums of Chinese investment.
But the flood of Chinese money has brought problems, including a rash of casinos and online scam operations staffed by foreign workers.
China’s relations with South-east Asia have been complicated by its self-proclaimed control over most of the South China Sea despite competing claims from nations including Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Maritime disagreements have pitted some Asean members against Beijing and boosted sympathy for US opposition to China’s growing assertiveness. Others have backed Beijing.
Singapore has for decades juggled ties with China and the United States, engaging in an increasingly delicate balancing act amid the growing rivalry between the two powers across the Asia-Pacific.
