15 December 2025DPM Gan Kim Yong at the Media Wrap-up of the 21st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation in Chongqing, ChinaPeopleDPM Gan Kim[...]

DPM Gan Kim Yong: This morning and afternoon in Chongqing, my colleagues and I had a very productive discussion with Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and as well as our Chinese counterparts at the 21^st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) and related Joint Steering Council (JSC) meetings.

We reaffirmed the longstanding partnership between Singapore and China. This partnership has grown deeper over the decades to become an all-round, high-quality and future-oriented partnership.

A major focus was on how we can continue leveraging our three Government-to-Government projects to explore new areas of collaboration. In particular, on the occasion of the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI)'s 10^th anniversary, we discussed how we can build on the CCI's core strengths of connectivity and services to new areas such as green growth, digital transformation and supply chain resilience. And also extend it to new markets such as Central Asia, and bring on board new business and trade and logistic flows. Minister Josephine Teo will shortly share more about the CCI and the various collaborations.

We also discussed how we can expand our bilateral collaboration in areas such as financial connectivity, education, science and tech collaboration particularly in green technologies and health, food trade, as well as cultural and youth exchanges.

Allow me to elaborate on the first two - financial connectivity and education - and I will invite my colleagues to share more about the others.

First, let me start with the financial connectivity. I am glad to announce that DBS has been appointed as the second Renminbi (RMB) clearing bank in Singapore. This will enhance our status as the leading offshore RMB clearing centre.

With the support of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), MAS and SGX will be extending the secondary listing framework for companies listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange to secondary list in Singapore. This will enable such corporates to access international capital and provide additional funding channels for regional business expansions.

I am also happy to note the commencement of the over-the-counter bond market arrangement through Bank of China and DBS, which will allow designated banks in Singapore to provide institutional investors with access to selected fixed income products on the China Interbank Bond Market. This will further reinforce Singapore's role as a gateway for investors seeking Asian investment opportunities, and therefore strengthen our position as a fixed income and asset management hub.

We are also launching a pilot for Singapore to use eCNY in China by the end of this year. This will make payments even more convenient for tourists visiting China.

Together, these initiatives will deepen financial connectivity between Singapore and China, boost Singapore's status as a financial hub and support our growth as well as the trade and investment and people-to-people linkages.

On education exchanges, we announced a slew of partnerships between our universities. These collaborations include areas like advanced manufacturing, life sciences and health, and AI governance, which are aligned with Singapore's RIE2030 (Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030) priorities. Our students and researchers will be able to benefit from China's vibrant innovation ecosystem by having access to more joint education programmes, joint laboratories and joint education spaces. This will broaden their horizons and enhance their expertise.

This year's JCBC caps off a fruitful year of Singapore-China relations as we commemorate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations. These include Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's visit as well as Chinese Premier Li Qiang's introductory visit to Singapore. Today's meetings reaffirm how Singapore and China remain committed to work together in the spirit of mutual trust and respect so that we can better navigate global uncertainties, open up new opportunities for our economies and businesses and improve the lives of our people.

I will now say a few words in Mandarin.

第二十一届新中双边合作联合委员会（JCBC）会议今早成功的举行，也圆满的结束了。会议务实、高效，我们也取得了一系列实质的成果。

我非常高兴能够再一次与丁薛祥副总理进行会面。新中两国关系坚固、源远流长, 双边在互利互惠的原则和基础上推动了两国全方位高质量前瞻性的伙伴关系。双方高度的认同有必要继续拓展和深化双边的合作，让两国的经济更加坚韧稳定，为两国的企业和人民谋求更多的福利。

今早我们重点讨论了如何推进三项政府间双边合作项目，继续为两国的发展做出贡献。其中，中新 （重庆） 战略性互联互通项目在过去十年里取得了非常显著的进展。双方还就多领域达成新的合作共识，包括金融的互联互通、教育、涉及绿色科技和医疗等领域的科技创新合作、食品贸易，以及文化和青年交流等。

在金融合作方便，双方指定了第二家新加坡人民币业务清算行，就是星展銀行。这将进一步巩固新加坡作为中国以外最大离岸人民币中心之一的地位。我们也将在年底之前施行让新加坡人能够在中国能够使用数字人民币（eCNY），让新加坡游客在中国消费变得更加轻松、便利。

我们也公布了一系列高校间的合作计划。新加坡的学生和研究人员将有机会更深入地接触中国蓬勃发展的创新生态，参与更多的联合课程、联合实验室、联合孵化空间等，从中开阔视野，提升专业能力。

当前国际形势复杂多变，但新中双方始终坚持聚焦互利共赢的合作。双方将继续长期建立的互信为基础，推动双边合作取得更多实质的成果。继续造福两国的人民。

Now I would like to invite [Minister for Digital Development and Information] Josephine Teo to share more about [the] CCI and projects related to [the] CCI.