By Xinhua Writer Wang Lili
SINGAPORE, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's upcoming visit to China will push forward the bilateral all-around cooperative partnership progressing with the times, said a Chinese diplomat here on Monday.
In a written interview with Xinhua, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore Fang Xinwen made the remarks on the eve of Lee's visit to China.
According to Chinese statistics, Singapore's investment to China last year has accounted for 85.2 percent of the total investment China has attracted from the countries and regions along the Belt and Road, meanwhile China's investment to Singapore amounted to nearly 30 percent of China's total investment to the countries and regions along the Belt and Road, Fang said.
Moreover, Singapore stands as China's largest service trade partner among the countries along the Belt and Road, according to Fang.
Since the Singapore-China Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation decided in February this year to pin the Belt and Road Initiative as the new important field of bilateral cooperation, relevant cooperation has demonstrated robust momentum, the Chinese diplomat said.
The three inter-governmental cooperative projects, namely Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-City, and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative, have catered to the requirements for economic growth and strategic planning of the two Asian countries.
By making use of Singapore's strengths including those in the fields of finance, management and planning and design, as well as China's engineering and manufacturing industrial advantages, the three projects have proven to be mutually beneficial, Fang said.
The Singaporean leader will pay an official visit to China on Sept. 19-21 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.
