On August 1, 2018, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore before attending the Foreign Ministers’ Meetings on East Asia Cooperation in Singapore.

Wang Yi expressed that with increasing uncertain and unstable factors in the current international situation, we should make joint efforts to help East Asia, the land of vitality and hope, maintain its peace, tranquility and the momentum of constant and forward-looking development. Speaking positively of the active role Singapore has played as the country coordinator of relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in promoting the development of China-ASEAN relations in the past three years, Wang Yi expressed that the Chinese side always supports pushing the process of cooperation in East Asia with the ASEAN as the core. The Chinese side is willing to, together with the Singaporean side, intensify communication, well host the upcoming Foreign Ministers’ Meetings on East Asia Cooperation, utter the voice of unity, cooperation and development, and send the clear message of upholding multilateralism and opposing unilateralism and protectionism, so as to continue the active, positive and future-oriented China-ASEAN relations.

Vivian Balakrishnan thanked the Chinese side for supporting the work undertaken by Singapore as the country coordinator of ASEAN-China relations, spoke positively of the active progress achieved in ASEAN-China relations, and expressed that both sides should, in face of rising unilateralism and protectionism, come forward with clear stances to oppose unilateralism and uphold multilateralism, adhere to promoting free trade and regional economic integration, and safeguard rules-based international order. The Singaporean side will make positive efforts to ensure a success of upcoming Foreign Ministers’ Meetings on East Asia Cooperation.