Istanbul: Chinese Premier Li Qiang stated on Sunday that Beijing is prepared to collaborate with Singapore and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to ensure the success of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0. Li’s comments came during a meeting with Singapore’s acting President Eddie Teo in Singapore, prior to his visit to Malaysia for the ASEAN summit.

According to Anadolu Agency, Li emphasized China’s willingness to maintain close communication and coordination with Singapore within multilateral frameworks. He voiced the intention to jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade, while promoting a balanced and inclusive global economic order. Li also highlighted the importance of high-level exchanges and strategic communication to deepen political trust and expand cooperation, aiming for steady and long-term bilateral relations that benefit both nations and the broader region.

Li pointed to opportunities for collaboration in areas such as the digital economy, green development, and artificial intelligence, which are seen as crucial to boosting modernization efforts in both countries. Meanwhile, Singapore’s acting President Eddie Teo underscored the longstanding and robust relationship between China and Singapore. He noted that the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year signifies the growing momentum of their partnership.

Teo expressed Singapore’s readiness to align development strategies with China, enhance cooperation in economic and trade sectors, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges. He also emphasized the importance of deepening the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership and supporting World Trade Organization reforms to foster an open world economy.