SINGAPORE – Singapore’s leaders sent congratulatory letters to their Chinese counterparts on Oct 3 to mark 35 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, in his letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, said ties between the two nations were built on the foresight and efforts of pioneer leaders, particularly Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Deng Xiaoping, in the 1970s.

Those ties have now grown into a close and wide-ranging partnership that both countries enjoy today.

Mr Lee was Singapore’s founding prime minister, and Mr Deng was the Chinese statesman who played a key role in opening China up to the world.

In his letter, Mr Tharman said

Singapore and China in 2023 upgraded bilateral relations to what was termed an “All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership”.

Government-to-government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing, as well as a state-level bilateral cooperation project in Guangzhou, continue to progress, develop new features and remain forward-looking, he added.

He said: “To keep pace with changing times, we have expanded our cooperation into new areas like the digital and green economies, food security, and deepening financial cooperation.

“Generations of our citizens have also strengthened ties through study, business, tourism and cultural exchanges.”

Mr Tharman added that he is confident that Singapore and China will continue to work closely together to bring bilateral relations to even greater heights.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in his letter to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, said although Oct 3 marks 35 years of diplomatic ties since 1990, the friendship between Singapore and China started long before that.