S'PORE AND CHINA STRENGTHEN BILATERAL TIES WITH CHINESE GENERAL'S VISIT

Bilateral defence relations between and Singapore and China were given a boost when Member of the Politburo and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, General (GEN) Guo Boxiong, met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean on 20 May.

The meeting saw the leaders reaffirming both countries' commitment to strengthening cooperation with each other. Mr Teo and GEN Guo also discussed issues of regional security.

Following his meeting with Mr Teo, GEN Guo called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana.

Singapore and China have enjoyed long-standing bilateral defence relations and GEN Guo's visit to Singapore further attests to this.

In January 2008, Singapore and China signed the bilateral Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation, further strengthening defence ties between the two countries.

The armed forces of both countries engage in regular exchanges through visits, courses, seminars and port calls. They conducted their first joint training exercise in Guilin, China, in June 2009.

GEN Guo's visit also builds on the good exchange of high-level defence visits from both sides. Mr Teo was in China from 19 to 23 Apr earlier this year for an official visit, where he met key Chinese political and military leaders.