Maturing Relations Have Promising Prospects
“而立之年”共抗疫 中新友谊再升华
Ambassador Hong Xiaoyong Has a Signed Article Published in China Daily
洪小勇大使在《中国日报》发表署名文章
30 July 2020
2020年7月30日
Fighting against the novel coronavirus together, China and Singapore are raising their friendly relations to new heights
（无中文）
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore. A lot has changed because of the sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus, but not the friendly exchanges or the cooperation between the two countries.
2020年是中国新加坡建交30周年。一场突如其来的新冠肺炎疫情改变了许多，却没有改变中国和新加坡之间的友好交流与合作。
When the pandemic was raging in China and Singapore, the two governments and peoples extended helping hands to each other and engaged in extensive mutual support. On Feb 8, the Singaporean government donated medical materials such as antiviral drugs and testing kits to China. On May 5, the Chinese government and the Red Cross Society of China contributed over 600,000 masks of various types to Singapore.
当疫情先后在中国、新加坡蔓延，两国政府和民间伸出援手，互帮互助。2月8日，新加坡政府向中国援助抗病毒药物、病毒检测试剂盒等医用物资，我和新加坡外长维文出席交接仪式。5月5日，中国政府、中国红十字会向新加坡捐赠60余万只不同类型口罩，我和新加坡交通部兼卫生部高级政务部长蓝彬明共同出席交接仪式。捐赠仪式简朴无华，却让人深切感受到彼此强烈的相互关爱和支持。
When COVID-19 first emerged and Wuhan was put in lockdown, some travelers from Hubei province were stranded in Singapore and some Singaporean citizens also faced difficulties going back home. The governments of the two countries conducted intensive communication and coordination and facilitated these people getting home in a smooth manner.
在疫情爆发初期，由于武汉封城，一些湖北旅游者滞留在新加坡；在湖北的新加坡公民也面临回国难问题。两国政府开展了密集沟通协调，成功协助这些国民顺利返回各自家乡。2月5日，我在新加坡樟宜机场给乘坐包机的147名湖北籍同胞送行，他们对两国政府的帮助表达感谢，有人还激动落泪。他们回国后专门送来锦旗，上面写着“新冠肆虐去留难，楚人异国举步艰，外交忧民重任予，急解困境千秋赞”。
Now prevention and control measures are in place, it has become an important task to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the new situation. The two sides have expanded new ways of close coordination and cooperation, which have made positive achievements.
在疫情常态化形势下，如何开展和加强双边合作成了中新面临的重要课题。双方开拓思路，精诚协作，进行了很多努力和尝试，取得不少积极成果。
China and Singapore have maintained frequent high-level interactions. Letters and calls have been exchanged between President Xi Jinping and President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Vice-Premier Han Zheng and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, as well as State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, leading to consensus on cooperation in pandemic control and other areas. The cross-departmental joint meeting, led by the foreign ministries of the two countries, has effectively stepped up communication on pandemic response. Several Chinese provinces and cities have, through various channels, kept in touch and coordination with their Singaporean counterparts and thus ensured steady progress of major cooperative projects such as the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity, Suzhou Industrial Park, the Singapore-China (Shenzhen) Smart City Initiative and the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City.
中新高层之间保持频繁互动。习近平主席分别同新加坡总统哈莉玛和总理李显龙互致信函和通话，韩正副总理同新加坡副总理王瑞杰、国务委员兼外长王毅同新加坡外长维文分别通话，双方就应对疫情、继续推进中新合作达成共识。两国外交部牵头的跨部门联席会议成功举行，有效加强了两国政府部门之间应对疫情的沟通。中国一些地方省市以各种方式与新加坡保持联络协调，重庆战略性互联互通、苏州工业园、深圳智慧城市、广州知识城等重点合作项目继续顺利推进。
The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor that connects China and Singapore has played a pivotal role in stabilizing supply chains for the two countries during the pandemic. At the critical period of Singapore’s anti-pandemic efforts, fruits and other foods continued to be sent from Chongqing to Singapore via the rail-ocean cold chain of the trade route. This is just a small part of the bigger story. By May, 2020, 1,892 rail-ocean international trains and ships have transported 95,000 TEU of goods, with a total value of 12.3 billion yuan ($1.8 billion). The trade corridor, with its huge capacity for boosting regional connectivity, is becoming a vital link that connects the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
连接中新的“陆海新通道”为在疫情中保障两国供应链稳定发挥了重要作用。在新加坡抗疫关键时刻，来自重庆的水果和其他食品物资通过“陆海新通道”铁海联运冷链物流来到新加坡，成为双方保障供应链努力的一个缩影。截至2020年5月，国际铁海联运班列累计开行1892班，运输9.5万标箱，累计货值123.3亿元。“陆海新通道”正在成为连接“一带”与“一路”、提升区域联通的重要枢纽。
Although the virus has brought about many restraints to economic and trade cooperation projects, China-Singapore investment cooperation has kept a strong momentum and shown huge resilience in spite of the headwinds. In the first half of this year, Singaporean investment in China increased by 15.3 percent, keeping its position as the largest source of newly added foreign investment to China. China’s direct investment in Singapore grew by 57.5 percent in the same period, making Singapore the second-largest destination for China’s new investment. Such notable growth in investment cooperation reflects the strong confidence the two countries have in each other.
尽管疫情给经贸项目合作带来不少制约，但中新投资合作“逆势上扬”，展现了较强韧性。今年上半年，新加坡对华投资增长15.3%，继续保持中国第一大新增外资来源国地位。新加坡接受中国直接投资增长57.5%，成为中国第二大新增对外投资目的地。投资合作增幅显著，反映了两国对彼此发展前景的信心。
To facilitate travel for resuming production and work, China and Singapore, after close consultations, opened a fast track for people to travel between the two countries in early June, making Singapore the first country from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to put in place such an arrangement with China. The fast track has become the epitome of measures taken by the two to ensure pragmatic cooperation during the pandemic.
为了满足复工复产人员往来需要，中新两国经过密集磋商，于6月初正式开启了“快捷通道”。新加坡成为东盟第一个与中国建立“快捷通道”的国家。使馆每天接到的咨询电话络绎不绝，“快捷通道”也成为疫情形势下两国保障务实合作的代名词。
Both China and Singapore are committed to multilateralism and globalization and are opposed to protectionism. To fight against the virus, the two sides actively attended such video meetings as Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19, the special foreign ministers’ meeting of ASEAN-China on COVID-19, the special meeting of ASEAN Plus Three health ministers on COVID-19 and ASEAN-China COVID-19 control meeting. At these meetings, the various parties shared their respective information and experience on pandemic control and strengthened exchanges and cooperation in order to safeguard public health and safety of the people. On June 18, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore attended the high-level special video meeting on Belt and Road Initiative cooperation hosted by China and expressed Singapore’s readiness to engage in the joint implementation of the initiative.
中国与新加坡均致力于多边合作，反对保护主义，推进全球化进程。为共同抗击疫情，双方积极参加了东盟与中日韩抗击新冠肺炎疫情领导人特别会议、中国—东盟关于新冠肺炎疫情特别外长会、东盟与中日韩特别卫生部长会议、中国－东盟疫情防控视频会议等地区多边会议。各方积极分享防疫信息和经验，加强抗疫交流和合作，共同维护地区公共卫生安全和人民身体健康。6月18日，新加坡外长维文出席中方举办的“一带一路”国际合作高级别视频会议，表达了新方继续参与共建“一带一路”的积极意愿。
Not long ago, in a telephone call between President Xi and Prime Minister Lee, the two leaders expressed their shared delight in seeing the achievements that had been made in the past three decades and reached an important consensus on further advancing reciprocal cooperation in the new landscape. As the Chinese saying goes, a man should become independent and mature at the age of 30. The two countries, celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, should build upon past achievements and strive to make new progress. Standing at a new starting point, the China-Singapore relationship is embracing bright prospects. The two sides will not only celebrate the anniversary in flexible and diverse ways, but also take this chance to open up new chapters of common development and prosperity.
不久前，习近平主席和李显龙总理在电话会谈中对建交30年来两国关系取得的成就感到高兴，就在新形势下进一步拓展和深化两国各领域互利合作达成重要共识。三十而立，继往开来。中新关系已站上新的历史起点，并展示更加美好的未来。双方不仅将以灵活多样形式庆祝建交30周年，更将以此为契机，携手开辟共同发展共同繁荣的新局面。