China, Singapore to focus on cooperation in anti-epidemic, B&R, regional integration

SINGAPORE -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Tuesday that China and Singapore have agreed to focus on coordination and cooperation in five fields, including anti-epidemic efforts, the Belt and Road construction and regional economic integration.

At a joint press conference with Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Wang said that China and Singapore have jointly combated COVID-19 while promoting economic development, and have further boosted and expanded bilateral cooperation amid the pandemic.

He pointed out that the two sides agreed to deepen dialogue and exchanges, and focus on coordination and cooperation in five fields.

First, both side will focus on anti-epidemic cooperation. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Singapore have closely cooperated in epidemic control, information-sharing and purchase of vaccines and medical supplies.

Both countries will further enhance cooperation in the study of coronavirus, as well as in the research and development of vaccines and medicines, Wang said.

Second, both sides will focus on the joint construction of the Belt and Road, especially of the New Land-Sea Corridor.

The corridor has guaranteed the regional supply chains amid the pandemic. The two sides will further consolidate the trade corridor to let it play a bigger role in promoting regional connectivity, he said.

Third, both sides will focus on cooperation on sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major opportunities for the development of digital economy, while tackling climate change has become a pressing challenge for mankind.

Since the cooperation of China and Singapore has technological and funding advantages, it will lead the development of related industries in these two fields so as to provide new impetus for the global economic recovery, Wang said.

Fourth, the two countries will focus on regional cooperation in East Asia. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN dialogue relations.

China and Singapore will work together with other ASEAN nations to hold a series of celebratory events including the leaders' summits to elevate China-ASEAN relations, and facilitate the early entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership (RCEP), Wang said.

Both sides will also fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, speed up the consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea, Wang added.

Fifth, the two countries will focus on multilateral cooperation. China and Singapore agree that the world needs unity and cooperation, not splits and confrontations.

Both sides should give full play to the "in-the-same-boat" spirit and discard the zero-sum mentality. China is willing to join hands with Singapore to firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and promote multilateralism of win-win cooperation so as to usher in a new era of common development, he said.

Also at the joint press conference, while answering a question about what China has done to help regional countries and the world to combat COVID-19, Wang said that China, which deems the virus as the common enemy of mankind, has developed across-the-board cooperation with the international community in fighting the pandemic.

Specifically, Wang said China took the lead in sharing virus-related information and anti-epidemic experience, in providing anti-epidemic supplies to countries in large amount, in offering massive vaccine support to developing countries, in dispatching medical expert teams abroad, and in proposing the building of a community of common health for mankind.

China has sought international anti-epidemic cooperation with no intentions of geographical strategy, no attempts at economic gains, and no attachment of political conditions, Wang noted.

The worldwide pandemic is far from over, and China will continue to make contribution within its ability to the global efforts to combat COVID-19 and to achieve a sustainable economic recovery, he added.