China willing to strengthen coordination with Singapore in multilateral mechanisms: vice premier

SINGAPORE, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said here on Monday that China is willing to strengthen coordination with Singapore within the framework of the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other multilateral mechanisms as the international situation is intertwined with changes and chaos.

China is also willing to intensify cooperation with Singapore in areas such as tackling climate change, said Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, when meeting with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

China firmly supports the building of the ASEAN community and ASEAN centrality, he said.

Ding stressed that China is willing to work with regional countries, including Singapore, to prevent external forces from interfering with the mainstream of regional development cooperation and jointly safeguard the hard-won peace and tranquility in the region.

The Chinese vice premier called on the two countries to carry forward their traditional friendship, improve and upgrade cooperation, continue the momentum of stable and positive development of bilateral relations, and deliver more benefits for the people.

Noting that China is Singapore's important partner, Tharman Shanmugaratnam expressed appreciation for China's increasingly significant role in the global economy.

He said Singapore is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China in international and regional affairs to build an open world economy and create a better future for the people of the two countries and the region.