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Business Times
20-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
PM Wong to strengthen ties, discuss multilateralism in upcoming China visit
[SINGAPORE] Prime Minister Lawrence Wong laid out three objectives for an upcoming trip to China – establishing closer ties, reaffirming a commitment to enhanced cooperation, and discussing global affairs – in an interview broadcast on Chinese state media on Friday (Jun 20). PM Wong will visit China from Jun 22 to 26, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Aside from meeting Li and Chinese President Xi Jinping, he will speak at the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Summer Davos meeting in Tianjin. On the Leaders Talk programme on China's CCTV-13, PM Wong said: 'I made it a point to visit China almost every year since entering politics, because it is useful to visit regularly, to interact, exchange notes with my counterparts, and to get a sense of how China is moving and transforming.' But the upcoming visit is 'more special' as it is his first as prime minister, added PM Wong, who took the helm in May 2024. His first objective is to establish closer ties with China's leaders, especially Xi and Li, both of whom he has met before. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The second is to reaffirm both countries' commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation, especially as 2025 marks 35 years of diplomatic relations. In 2023, Singapore and China upgraded relations to an 'All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership'. The two countries have a 'very close and steadfast' partnership built on mutual trust, respect and understanding, which began with Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and China's Deng Xiaoping, said PM Wong. Major government-to-government projects in Suzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing 'are not simply projects that are completed', he noted, but ongoing platforms for wider cooperation. PM Wong's third objective is to discuss global challenges and explore how both countries can work together to strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based global order. The need to uphold this order will be his key message at Summer Davos, he added. 'Without rules, without longstanding norms of cooperation, countries everywhere will be worse off.' Small countries such as Singapore are naturally concerned, as their limited bargaining power means a risk of being 'sidelined and squeezed'. But large countries will also be hurt in a more fragmented world, as mistrust will mean more uncertainty and volatility, with slower growth and higher inflation. In the face of rising protectionism, one important move is the proposed upgrade of the China-Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which Singapore fully supports, said PM Wong. 'We hope this can be signed at the coming Asean-China summit in October, and the new upgrade will come into force soon after that.' This is in line with Singapore's efforts to work with Asean and other like-minded countries to uphold free trade and a rules-based trading system, he pointed out. Beyond Asia, Singapore is also working with partners such as the European Union, Latin America and Africa. 'Some of these are countries we are not so familiar with, but we think we should now make an extra effort to establish closer links with them.' PM Wong also said that he fully supports China's intended accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), established by Singapore, Chile and New Zealand to promote collaboration on digital trade issues. 'There are requirements; there are standards to meet,' he noted, regarding the agreement. 'There is also a consensus process among all existing members.' He added: 'So we will do our part to support this, but we hope China will meet the requirements, and we look forward to being able to welcome China as part of DEPA.'
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
China Censors Broadcast After News Anchor's Big Mistake
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Chinese state media has censored a news broadcast after an anchor mistakenly referred to Taiwan and China as "two countries" in a contradiction of Beijing's official position. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese and Taiwanese foreign ministries with written requests for comment. Why It Matters The government of Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, retreated to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war to communist forces. It has since operated as a sovereign state, with its own constitution, military and foreign relations. However, Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and insists unification is inevitable—by force if necessary. China has increased the frequency of its punitive military drills around the island since the inauguration of its Beijing-skeptic President Lai Ching-te. This screenshot captures the moment CCTV-13 anchor Hu Die refers to China and Taiwan as separate countries on May 20, 2025. This screenshot captures the moment CCTV-13 anchor Hu Die refers to China and Taiwan as separate countries on May 20, 2025. China Central Television What To Know Hu Die, an anchor on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV-13, made the on-air slip while reporting on a statement from the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO)—a Chinese agency tasked with promoting Beijing's messaging on Taiwan—criticizing remarks by President Lai the previous day. "The direction and pace of cross-strait relations moving forward cannot be obstructed," she said. "Even more so, the two countries cannot be obstructed—cannot obstruct the historical trend that the motherland will eventually be unified," Hu added, quickly correcting herself. The clip was soon scrubbed from the CCTV website and social media. May 20: 🇨🇳 CCTV-13 news anchor Hu Die (胡蝶) says '两国' (two nations) when she's talking about China and Taiwan during a live newscast… I guess this could be the end of her career at the state media group. All relevant video clips have been removed from Chinese media / social… — Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) May 21, 2025 Lai on Tuesday addressed the state of relations across the Taiwan Strait in a speech marking one year since he took office. "Many countries around the world, including Taiwan, are in fact under the threat of aggressors," he said in a barb aimed at China. Lai renewed an offer made during last year's postelection victory speech, saying Taipei is open to resuming official exchanges with Beijing if they are conducted on terms of "parity and dignity." TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua accused the Taiwanese leader of hypocrisy, saying his "separatist" stance—or insistence on engaging in a "two-state" framework—is incompatible with restarting talks. "His two-faced tactics are doomed to fail," Chen said, reiterating Beijing's stance that the trend toward unification remains unchanged. A poll released early this year showed 76 percent of Taiwanese support either maintaining the status quo or moving toward de jure independence, while only 13 percent favor unification with China. China has threatened to declare war if Taiwan declares official independence. Lai maintains that Taiwan is already independent, so such a declaration is unnecessary. What People Have Said Joseph Wu, head of Taiwan's National Security Council, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Friday: "Taiwan is a democratic nation and will not allow China to turn it into another Hong Kong. We will invest in our defense and work with democratic partners to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open." Chinese President Xi Jinping said during his New Year's Eve address: "We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same family. No one can ever sever the bond of kinship between us, and no one can ever stop China's reunification, a trend of the times." What's Next China is almost certain to continue squeezing Taiwan's diplomatic space and conduct major military drills in waters near the island. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have said they believe Xi could move against Taiwan before the end of the decade and have said the best means of deterring an invasion is to dramatically raise the cost to Chinese forces.
