Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and visiting Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji held talks Monday and both pledged to further enhance cooperation between their two countries and promote China-Singapore relations onto a new stage.

The talks took place hours after Zhu arrived here for an official visit to Singapore, the third leg of his four-nation Southeast Asian tour which has already taken him to Malaysia and the Philippines.

The two leaders met twice when they were attending the third informal summit between ASEAN (Association of the Southeast Asian Nations) and China, Japan and South Korea in Manila Sunday.

Goh told Zhu that he was pleased to officially greet the Chinese premier in Singapore, sources close to the meeting said.

Zhu said it was also a great pleasure for him to visit this beautiful country again nearly 10 years after his last trip here as the mayor of Shanghai in 1990.

Zhu said that although it has not been long since China and Singapore established diplomatic ties, their bilateral relations are going on smoothly, with exchanges and cooperation developing in all fields.

The two nations have also maintained good coordination and cooperation on many international and regional issues, Zhu said while expressing satisfaction with the momentum of development in bilateral relations.

Noting that next year will mark the beginning of a new millennium and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Zhu said he will join efforts with Goh in actively exploring new ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in the next decade.

To further enhance the bilateral relations, Zhu put forward his four proposals.

-- Maintaining the current momentum of frequent exchange of visits between leaders and government departments of the two countries, which Zhu said has an irreplaceable role in deepening bilateral understanding and enhancing bilateral relations. Zhu officially invited Goh to visit China next year.

-- Furthering economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. The Chinese premier said he believes there still exists potential for expanding bilateral trade and mutual investments.

Zhu said China welcomes Singapore companies to continue investing in China, take a role in the reform of China's state-owned enterprises and continue to open markets in the civil housing area in which Singapore has gained rich experience.

Meanwhile, Zhu said China will encourage its enterprises to set up independently-owned or joint ventures in Singapore.

-- Exploring ways for cooperation in the financial area. Zhu praised Singapore for its rich experience in opening-up and supervision in this sector.

Zhu said the two sides could deeply explore ways to strengthen regional financial cooperation and resist and prevent financial risks.

-- Continuing cooperation with Singapore in training. Many Chinese delegations and teams have visited Singapore and learned quite a lot in the fields of economic management, city planning and construction, environment protection, housing and legal systems.

Goh said he agreed with Premier Zhu's suggestions, noting that Singapore also believes that it is necessary to deepen and broaden the economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Goh accepted with pleasure the invitation to pay an official visit to China next year.

Goh also hailed the recent bilateral agreement between China and the United States on China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

China's entry into the WTO would play an even more active role in formulating the international trade rules, the Singapore prime minister said.