The People’s Action Party (PAP) sent a 15-member delegation on a study visit to China at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to step up ties between the two parties.
This follows up on the meeting between then Prime Minister and PAP Secretary-General Lee Hsien Loong and Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee in March 2023 when both leaders agreed to further party-to-party exchanges.
Also visiting China at the invitation of PRC Foreign Minister Wang Yi were Dr Vivian Balakrishan, Minister for Foreign Affairs, PAP Central Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the PAP HQ EXCO External Relations sub-committee and Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development and PAP Women’s Wing Chairperson.
Together with the PAP delegation led by SMS for Defence, and Manpower and Deputy Leader of the House Zaqy Mohamad, they met the following personalities in Beijing on 9 September 2024: Member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Cai Qi, Wang Yi, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Liu Jianchao, and Minister of the Social Work Department of the CPC Central Committee Wu Hansheng.
The delegation includes Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, and Social and Family Development Eric Chua, Members of Parliament Edward Chia, Dr Wan Rizal, Yeo Wan Ling and Yip Hon Weng, Chairman of the PAP Eunos Branch Jagathishwaran Rajo and several branch secretaries.
The PAP delegation will continue its visit in Beijing and Anhui. It will visit the Central Party School and Organisation Department of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing. In Hefei Anhui, they will meet with members of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Hefei Municipal Party Committee, and visit the Hefei Institute of Physical Science.
Dr Vivian said this visit aims to maintain and strengthen relations with overseas political parties. Singapore and China have a partnership dating before 1990 when diplomatic relations were established. Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and China’s leader Deng Xiaoping laid the foundation. “It is important for us to have a good and close relations, not only just government to government, people to people, but also party to party.”
The delegation will return to Singapore on 14 September 2024.
