CHINESE President Hu Jintao's visit to Singapore on Wednesday is expected to yield new bilateral initiatives in education and culture, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

It will also give a further boost to longstanding good relations between the two countries, Mr Lee added.

Mr Hu’s visit to Singapore is his first since taking office six years ago.

Over three days, he will meet Mr Lee and other Singapore leaders, as well as members of the business community here.

He will then join other regional and world leaders for meetings over the weekend to cap the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, hosted by Singapore.

Mr Hu’s visit here rounds off a busy and fruitful year for bilateral relations, with several Chinese leaders and ministers visiting Singapore, and their Singaporean counterparts visiting key Chinese cities, PM Lee said in an interview with China’s official Xinhua news agency, released yesterday.

The Prime Minister also highlighted China’s crucial role in the success of the Apec forum, as it is "one of the largest economies of the world now, almost the same size as Japan if you go on the basis of purchasing power parity".

Beijing, he noted, had a vested interest in the region’s prosperity and stability, and would be working with the other 20 Apec member economies to achieve the common goals of liberalising trade and better integrating their markets.

The Apec summit this week is a chance to discuss these longer-term goals for the region now that the world is at last pulling out of recession, the PM said last week.

Both Singapore and China “share an interest in a stable, prosperous and open region, one where the countries are cooperating close together and, at the same time, one where we have good relations across the Pacific and with the rest of the world”, he said yesterday.

In this light, Mr Lee hoped to see progress, not just on bilateral matters, but also in cooperation between China and Asean, and in other regional groupings such as the East Asia Summit and Apec, of which China is a member.

Mr Hu will be accompanied on his state visit here by his wife, Madam Liu Yongqing, as well as other key Chinese officials, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

The officials include State Councillor Dai Bingguo, Foreign Affairs Minister Yang Jiechi and Minister Zhang Ping of the top economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission.

Mr Hu is here at the invitation of President SR Nathan, who will host a state banquet in his honour. The Chinese President will also meet Mr Lee, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

In addition, a gala dinner will be organised for Mr Hu and his delegation by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Business China.

PM Lee, who visited three Chinese cities in June, said he hoped to discuss with Mr Hu how to further develop bilateral ties.

"We have some ideas in the cultural area, in the educational area, and one or two additional projects which are under discussion, which we hope will be worked out in time for this visit," he added.

Education is a growing area of cooperation, as Singapore is building a new technology and design university which will link up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a yet-to-be announced top Chinese university.

There is increasing collaboration between educational institutions on both sides, Mr Lee noted.

He also hoped to learn more from his Chinese counterpart about China’s domestic situation and the measures it is taking to keep its economy on an even keel, to maintain growth and contribute to prosperity in the region.

With both countries set to mark 20 years of official diplomatic relations next year, the PM said he was pleased that they had developed a wide-ranging partnership on trade and the economy, as well as in other areas.

"We have established a mutual understanding and rapport to appreciate where we can work together and where our common perspectives are, even though Singapore is a tiny country with a five-million population and China is a huge country with a population of 1.3billion," he told Xinhua.

Courtesy of The Straits Times, 9 November 2009

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