HONG KONG - Singapore Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean expressed confidence in Hong Kong's development and continued prosperity in a meeting with Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Monday (May 30).
Under the "one country, two systems" framework, Hong Kong will continue to benefit from the economic opportunities arising from its close integration with mainland China while maintaining its international outlook, Mr Teo told Mrs Lam.
Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, is visiting Hong Kong until Wednesday to meet the city's incoming and outgoing leaders.
He is accompanied on his trip by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials.
Mrs Lam is slated to hand over Hong Kong's leadership reins to Chief Executive-elect John Lee on July 1.
In the meeting with Mrs Lam, Mr Teo expressed appreciation for her strong support for Singapore-Hong Kong relations, which have maintained a good momentum despite the coronavirus pandemic, MFA said in a statement.
Mrs Lam told Mr Teo that, testament to the strong ties between the two cities, Singapore was the destination of her first official trip overseas after she took office in 2017.
"In my several political positions over the past 15 years, I have made numerous visits to Singapore to attend conferences and meet senior officials," the Chief Executive said.
"I very much treasure the friendship nurtured and hope to visit Singapore again in the not too distant future."
The two leaders discussed ways that Singapore and Hong Kong can continue to deepen cooperation - such as in urban development, public service exchanges, arts and culture, and education - and exchanged views on regional and global developments.
They also reaffirmed the two cities' longstanding and close partnership, underpinned by regular high-level exchanges, strong economic cooperation and people-to-people links.
Singapore and Hong Kong have much to gain by working together, the Senior Minister said in an opinion piece for the South China Morning Post that was published on Monday.
The two cities face similar challenges, and amid a healthy rivalry, there is also much to learn from each other, with many opportunities for regional cooperation, including in the Greater Bay Area, he wrote, referring to Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.
Separately, Mr Teo also met Mr Leung Chun Ying, Hong Kong's former chief executive and vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, on Monday.
They exchanged views on how Singapore and Hong Kong can advance collaboration in new areas, including in the Greater Bay Area.
Mr Teo is set to meet Mr Lee on Wednesday, after the latter returns to Hong Kong from meeting China's top officials in Beijing.
Mr Teo would be the first foreign leader to meet the incoming Chief Executive since he was elected to the top job on May 8 after securing more than 99 per cent of the votes in a small-circle election.
The Senior Minister's trip comes as Singapore and Hong Kong look towards gradually resuming regular exchanges following the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
