CHONGQING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore on Monday pledged to deepen cooperation across various sectors, and agreed to work together to safeguard the multilateral trading system to increase regional prosperity and stability.
The pledge came as Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong co-chaired four bilateral cooperation mechanism meetings in Chongqing.
The four meetings were the 21st meeting of the China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation, the 26th meeting of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council, the 17th meeting of the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Joint Steering Council, and the ninth meeting of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity Joint Steering Council.
During the meetings, the two sides exchanged in-depth views on the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, national-level bilateral cooperation projects, and cooperation in areas such as the economy, trade, sustainable development, innovation, finance, public health and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
The two sides agreed to enhance development strategy alignment and identify more shared interests and areas for cooperation, leverage policy resources to upgrade major projects, and cultivate new quality productive forces to deliver landmark outcomes.
They also committed to safeguarding the multilateral trading system to promote their own development in an improved manner, as well as regional prosperity and stability.
Ding, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Gan prior to the four bilateral meetings.
Ding said that the long-standing, stable development of China-Singapore relations is attributable to the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries and their commitment to the correct political direction.
Both sides should continue to enhance mutual trust, respect each other's core interests, and ensure the steady, sustained growth of friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Singapore, Ding said.
For his part, Gan said that Singapore attaches great importance to developing relations with China, adheres firmly to the one-China policy, and opposes "Taiwan independence." Singapore is willing to work with China to enhance exchange at all levels and promote the greater development of bilateral relations, he added.
Following the meetings, Ding and Gan attended the launch ceremony of the Chongqing-Central Asia and Chongqing-Southeast Asia International Railway Express under China-Singapore Multi-Modal Demonstration Project. ■
