Keynote Address by Minister Chee Hong Tat at the Singapore-China Forum 2025
Oct 10, 2025
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, a very good morning to everyone.
Introduction: Celebrating 35 years of diplomatic ties
The theme “Finding Common Ground in a Disordered World” reflects the very approach that has defined the past 35 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China. Over the 35 years, our partnership has grown from strength to strength, underpinned by the commitment of leaders on both sides who have invested deeply in building personal trust, finding common ground, and a shared sense of purpose, and grounded in openness and a belief in a multilateral world where countries remain connected through trade, investments, and exchanges.
Even though diplomatic relations were only established in 1990, our relations stretch back much further. Notably, the landmark visit by Mr Deng Xiaoping to Singapore in 1978, where he met our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew, marked the start of a new phase in our relations.
During that visit, Mr Deng saw how Singapore, an island state without natural resources, was able to grow by opening itself up to international trade and investments. He returned to China and said “We should draw from Singapore’s experience and do even better than them”； 我们应当借鉴它们的经验，而且比它管得更好. And one month later, in December 1978, Mr Deng launched China’s “Reform and Opening Up” (or 改革开放) policy, which kickstarted the country’s economic development and progress.
It is no wonder that the late Mr Lee often spoke of Mr Deng with deep respect.
Mr Lee also held a positive view of China’s long-term development. I had the privilege of serving as his Principal Private Secretary from 2008 to 2011, when he was Minister Mentor. I saw firsthand that mutual trust and respect when I accompanied Mr Lee on many of his visits to China, including during the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and his meetings with Chinese leaders such as Mr Jiang Zemin, Mr Zhu Rongji, Mr Hu Jintao and Mr Xi Jinping. When Mr Xi visited Singapore in 2010, he and Mr Lee unveiled a bust of Mr Deng along the Singapore River.
I have also experienced this friendship and trust in my interactions with my Chinese counterparts – whether previously as co-chair of the Singapore-Shandong Business Council or now working on the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City and our broader collaborations with Tianjin. And also with my counterparts from China’s Ministry of Transport and now the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
This trust is rooted in the belief that even as we each advocate for our own national interests, we are partners who can add value to each other and importantly, learn, grow and succeed. Just like how Mr Deng once saw Singapore as a model of economic openness and modernisation for China, we too recognise China’s strategic importance as a global superpower, and its vast potential for sustained growth and development which will be good for our region.
This is why we have consistently aligned our partnership with China’s national priorities, ensuring that our collaborations are mutually beneficial and relevant. What the Chinese would call 不忘初心，与时俱进.
Our partnership has flourished over the past decades. Today, Singapore and China are significant trading partners and major investors in each other’s markets. The Singapore-China Free Trade Agreement was upgraded last year, re-affirming our continued commitment to open markets and rules-based trade. Our cooperation also spans many other areas, including education, public governance, tourism, safety and security, amongst others.
Just last month, I made my first visit to China in my capacity as Minister for National Development, travelling first to Guilin for a meeting with our counterparts from ASEAN and China, before going to Tianjin and Beijing for further meetings. It was a fruitful and productive trip where we discussed common priorities with our Chinese friends, and how we can work together on areas such as urban redevelopment, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
It reaffirmed my firm belief that Singapore and China share not just common challenges but also similar mindsets and approaches that we can leverage to overcome these challenges together. Please allow me to elaborate.
Tackling Common Challenges
First, we approach challenges with a long-term perspective.
Singapore and China recognise that development and social progress can take many years to bear fruit, and sometimes after overcoming initial setbacks. We also believe in planning ahead for future generations, to leave behind a better future for our children and grandchildren than what we have inherited from our parents and grandparents. The Chinese saying which comes to mind is 前人种树，后人乘凉.
You see this in how we plan and develop our cities, balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability and social inclusion. Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 and China’s journey towards carbon neutrality are examples. Whether through Singapore’s efforts to green our existing buildings and promote urban greenery, or China’s remarkable advances in solar energy and electric vehicles, both nations are investing in a cleaner, greener and sustainable future.
Second, Singapore and China take a pragmatic and action-oriented approach to achieving good governance. What Mr Deng Xiaoping would call 实事求是, or his famous saying about black and white cats.
We focus on what works. We are willing to learn from others, experiment with new ideas and scale up successful ones. For example, China’s pilot zones and special economic areas have long been living laboratories for reform and innovation. In Singapore, we adopt a similar approach where we do not shy away from refining our policies to move in tandem with times, even changing course in some areas as conditions vary. We are pragmatic, not dogmatic. We focus on practical outcomes and results, not theoretical concepts and ideology.
This similar mindset of having a long-term perspective, being pragmatic, and focusing on what works, makes us good partners in facing common challenges together. As the Chinese saying goes, 酒逢知己千杯少, Singapore and China are like two good friends who can have heart-to-heart talks with each other over a bottle of good wine, whether it is red wine or Maotai.
Third, both countries believe in upholding a rules-based, open and multi-lateral world order, including for global trade and investments.
Today, the world economy is facing the risk of slower growth as a result of more trade and non-trade barriers, leading to intensifying economic rivalries and growing protectionist sentiments. Conflicts in various regions have also deepened mistrust and fragmentation.
In this context, there is a growing scepticism about free trade and globalisation. Fortunately, we do have countries, including Singapore and China, that understand that finding common ground remains essential for resilience and prosperity. This is why it is more important than ever for like-minded partners to deepen our collaboration and help shape a more resilient, interconnected world.
We hope our bilateral collaboration can be a good role model, and also a catalyst to other countries to join in and expand this network where countries can continue to interact with one another with certainty, mutual respect and confidence.
Expanding our partnership and collaboration
Ladies and gentlemen, wow then can Singapore and China take our partnership, our very strong partnership, to an even higher level?
Partnerships between countries are not static. They evolve with changing needs and circumstances. The Singapore–China relationship is no different. It has matured over the years into a mutually beneficial collaboration between equal partners who have much to learn from each other.
In fact, in many areas, China has surged ahead of Singapore and the rest of the world, in the speed and scale of its innovation and technological advancements. Yet Singapore continues to bring distinctive strengths – our connectivity, our reputation as a trusted hub and our ability to integrate ideas and talents from around the world, all of which can complement China’s strengths.
This morning, I would like to put forth three suggestions on how we can further deepen our bilateral collaborations.
First, to increase two-way investment and trade flows between Singapore and China.
This includes welcoming foreign investors and helping them to succeed after they have invested. This is important because successful companies will expand their operations and encourage others to also invest.
If Singapore companies do well in the Chinese market, their success will inspire more businesses from Singapore and other countries to follow suit. Likewise, when Chinese companies are successful in Singapore, we will attract more investments and create more good jobs for our people.
There is also great potential for both Singaporean and Chinese companies to grow together by leveraging complementary strengths and deepening their partnerships. So not just Singapore, China, but working together, going to a third country.
The vast Chinese market has created more opportunities for our companies and valuable knowledge exchanges. At the same time, our companies provide services that can meet the needs of Chinese consumers.
Chinese companies can also continue to use Singapore as a regional HQ and launchpad for Southeast Asia, leveraging our trusted networks, our robust financial ecosystem and our connectivity. We welcome more Chinese companies to set up in Singapore and to partner with Singapore companies to expand in the region and beyond.
Second, we must continue to invest in people-to-people ties, encouraging more interactions especially between our young people. Our people-to-people ties are the enduring bridge between Singapore and China. They sustain openness, mutual understanding, and long-term friendship.
We cannot take for granted the mutual trust built that has been built up between our leaders and our people over the past decades. Every generation must continue to invest in strengthening our relationship and bonds.
For Singapore, this means making the effort to understand China, including its culture, business practices and evolving priorities, so that our businesses and people can continue to seize opportunities to grow together with our Chinese counterparts.
Organisations such as Business China, which is a non-profit organisation established by Mr Lee Kuan Yew in 2007, play an important role in fostering cultural and business literacy between our peoples. In line with efforts to grow people-to-people exchanges, airlines have also increased the number of direct flights between China and Singapore, something that I was also personally involved in advocating in my previous capacity as Minister for Transport. The Youth Interns Exchange Scheme established last year, is the first bilateral internship exchange arrangement that Singapore has with another country, allowing young people from Singapore and China to embark on 6-month internships in the other country.
Third, both governments should develop policies and ecosystems that encourage innovation and entrepreneurship from our businesses and people, especially in new growth areas.
In a disordered world, opportunities abound for those with the vision and courage to seize new opportunities.
Too often, large organisations, including Governments, may fall into the trap of thinking that if I do more, I expose myself to more mistakes, and the best thing to do is not to do anything; 多做多错，不做就不会出错. However, as Dr Goh Keng Swee once said, doing nothing to avoid mistakes is actually the ultimate mistake, especially if it leads to our government officials and businesses becoming overly risk-averse.
We must dare to chart new paths, take calculated risks and encourage our companies and our people to do the same. To build a culture of encouraging calculated risk-taking, we should be prepared to accept some failures when we experiment with something new. We also need reward people who take initiative, and who have the courage to stick their necks out to push the boundaries and try new ideas.
I hope this culture of innovation would lead to more collaboration between our two countries, including between our companies and our people. This is especially important in emerging growth areas such as Artificial Intelligence, green economy, robotics and automation, where things can develop very quickly and no single company or individual has all the answers.
For example, in the built environment, Chinese technologies have seen success when adapted for use in Singapore. Hi-Tek Construction, which is a Singaporean company, has been piloting the use of robots – which they bought and then adapted from a Chinese partner, a company called Legend Robot – for the painting of interior surfaces at our public housing projects. The pilots yielded improvements in productivity by around 30% and HDB intends to progressively expand their use in building new flats for Singaporeans. This is just one example, there are many many more.
Conclusion
Please allow me to conclude my speech with some remarks in Mandarin. 各位朋友，新加坡的颜金勇副总理上周在《新加坡与中国：从邻国友邦到伙伴》新书发布会上就提到，在过去三十五年里，新中两国的关系不断深化，也变得更坚韧、更稳固。
中国目前正面临一些挑战。关税、就业和住房问题，都对中国经济造成压力。
但我有信心，中国会像过去一样，克服当前的挑战。中国有庞大的市场，众多的人才，也有破釜沉舟的决心和乘风破浪的创新能力。
新加坡也将一如既往，与中国携手同行，继续找寻共识，把握新的合作机遇。
回顾新中两国的合作历程，最令人印象深刻的是两国关系中所体现的共同信念与共同利益。我们都秉持长远规划、务实治国的理念，也都坚定地维护以规则为基础、开放包容且多边的国际秩序。
有了好的基础，新中两国的合作，可以从三方面进一步地深化。首先，我希望鼓励更多双向投资和贸易往来。第二，继续推动两国人民的交流，特别是要加强我们两国青年之间的互动和友谊。年轻一代，是连接两国未来的桥梁。最后，两国政府可以共同打造更有利于创新与创业的政策和生态环境，支持我们两国的企业和人民在新兴领域发展，例如人工智能、绿色经济、如何更广泛地利用机器人与自动化科技等等。
新中两国的双边关系，就像任何关系亲密的朋友一样，会经历起起落落， 有时候也会有不同观点和立场。但只要我们致力于建设一个 全方位高质量的前瞻性合作伙伴关系 ，两国将能世世代代，友谊长存。我相信，我们在2040年庆祝新中建交50周年时，新中关系将会更广更深，为我们两国的人民带来更多互惠共赢的成果。
谢谢大家。