A welcome boost to China-Singapore ties

The accelerating momentum in relations between Singapore and China over the decades, upgraded by a bilateral partnership early in 2023, is apparent in the results of the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting held in Tianjin on Dec 7. Co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, the meeting has produced an upgraded free trade pact that gives Singapore firms greater access to China’s services sector. Also, a new visa-free arrangement is expected to kick in from early 2024, allowing Singaporeans and Chinese nationals to visit the other country for up to 30 days without the need for a visa. These announcements, along with more than 20 memorandums of understanding and agreements inked, herald a new era of bilateral cooperation.

There is already much to build on. As Mr Wong noted before the JCBC announcements, China and Singapore have built a deep partnership over the decades. Their collaboration is embodied in three government-to-government projects (the Suzhou Industrial Park, the Tianjin Eco-City and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative), the state-level cooperation project (the Guangzhou Knowledge City), and eight provincial business councils. However, much more can be done, as the latest initiatives suggest.