Singapore, May 16th (Xinhua)--Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore met here today at the Istana with Zhao Leji, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Zhao conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to Lee. He said that China attaches importance to the development of bilateral relations, and is willing to enhance cooperation in various fields with Singapore, so as to promote bilateral relations for greater development. It is hoped that Singapore to actively play the role as a coordinating state in China-ASEAN relations to jointly safeguard regional peace, stability, and prosperity. Highly valuing the friendly relations with the People's Action Party (PAP) of Singapore, the CPC is willing to enhance exchanges between people of both parties and learn from each other's experience on party governance and state administration, in a bid to better benefit people of both countries.

Lee asked Zhao to convey his warm greetings and best wishes to President Xi and Premier Li, and congratulated the success of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. He expressed that both Singapore and China are important cooperation partners, sharing broad and common interests. Speaking highly of the "Belt and Road" initiative proposed by President Xi, Singapore hopes to further participate in the "Belt and Road" construction. As the coordinating state of ASEAN-China relations, Singapore will actively promote ASEAN-China relations for constant and forward-looking development. The PAP will intensify friendly exchanges, and communicate experience on state governance and administration with the CPC to help the development of each other.

During his stay in Singapore, Zhao also met respectively with Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security of Singapore and Goh Chok Tong, Emeritus Senior Minister, attended opening ceremony of the 6th China-Singapore Forum on Leadership and inspected Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Enditem