‘New era’ in Singapore-China ties? Incoming PM Lawrence Wong and Li Qiang agree to boost cooperation

Singapore's incoming prime minister, Lawrence Wong, met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Wednesday, 6 December 2023. Both leaders expressed the shared commitment to continue promoting "mutually beneficial cooperation" and enhancing ties between their nations' people and businesses. Thursday marked Wong's inaugural role as a co-chair for the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the highest platform for Singapore and China to assess areas for collaboration. Dylan Loh, an assistant professor in foreign policy at Singapore's SSS@NTU, noted, "The previous co-chair was DPM Heng, who was then slated to replace PM Lee, so I think it is natural the new future prime minister helms this position now, underscoring the level of importance Singapore places on the JCBC mechanism and the overall significance of our ties with China."