Fujian Delegation Visits Singapore for Economic, Trade and Cultural Exchanges

Fuzhou, China (ANTARA/Xinhua-AsiaNet) -- From May 15 to 17, Zhou Zuyi, Secretary of Fujian Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Fujian Provincial People's Congress led a delegation to Singapore, according to the Information Office of Fujian Provincial People's Government.

Acting on the important consensus reached by the state leaders of China and Singapore, the delegation organized extensive activities to promote business cooperation and cultural exchanges, and visited Fujian communities. With the aim of deepening friendship and upgrading the cooperation between Fujian and Singapore, the visit sought to tap into the strengths of both sides and achieve win-win outcomes.

Singapore is a major destination for Fujian migrants in the past few centuries, and one of the first countries to participate in Fujian's opening up and development after the implementation of China's reform and opening up policy. At present, around 1.63 million overseas Chinese in Singapore are of Fujian origin.

With geographical proximity and cultural affinity, Fujian and Singapore have maintained frequent exchanges in various fields. After China and Singapore established diplomatic relations in 1990, Fujian-Singapore cooperation has gained a stronger momentum in the fields of science and technology, education, health, culture and tourism, adding impetus to the development of both sides.

In 2022, two-way trade between Fujian and Singapore amounted to 27.14 billion Chinese yuan, an increase of 36.8% year-on-year. By the end of 2022, Singapore had invested in 1,833 projects in Fujian Province, with a total contractual investment of USD11.87 billion.

In 1821, the first Chinese junk boat to sail directly from China to Singapore departed from Xiamen, Fujian Province. Since then, Fujian and Singapore have enjoyed increasingly frequent economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Economic and trade cooperation have brought Fujian and Singapore closer in economic ties. The Department of Commerce of Fujian Province and the International Enterprise Singapore and other institutions jointly held a series of promotional events such as the China (Fujian)-Singapore Symposium on Economic, Trade, and Financial Cooperation in 2023, and the Summit for International (SG-CN Fujian) Technology Enterprises Cooperation in 2022. These events served to encourage leading Singaporean enterprises in electronics, information technology, and petrochemical sectors to leverage their advantages in capital, technology, equipment and products and establish operations in Fujian, thus driving related industries in Fujian toward higher-quality development and further enhancing economic and trade cooperation between Fujian and Singapore.