Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who is on an official visit in Beijing, said the experience of COVID-19 has 'deepened the reservoir of goodwill and trust' between China and Singapore.
Dr Balakrishnan was answering questions from reporters at the end of a three-day visit to Beijing, made at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.
Monday's introductory meeting between the two foreign ministers was"excellent" and lasted in total about three-and-a-half hours, Dr Balakrishnan told reporters. He pointed out that in-person negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea have commenced, and that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are in negotiations to further upgrade their free trade agreement after doing so in 2015.Noting that this was his fifth visit to China since the pandemic began, Dr Balakrishnan said that the experience of COVID-19 has"deepened the reservoir of goodwill and trust" between Singapore and China.
He also pointed to the importance of business and people-to-people links, with Singapore students and business people"raring" to engage China. Apart from Mr Qin, Dr Balakrishnan also met Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee Yin Li, as well as Minister of the International Department of the CPC Liu Jianchao on Monday.
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