The Consulate General of Singapore in Guangzhou held a reception on August 13 to celebrate the 61st anniversary of Singapore's National Day.
A billboard marks Singapore's 61st National Day in Guangzhou on August 13, 2026.
Tan Ling, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, extended best wishes to Singapore's Ambassador to China Peter Tan, Consul General of Singapore in Guangzhou Cindy Wee and all Singaporeans working, studying and living in Guangdong.
"2026 marks the 36th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore. Guangdong and Singapore have built on the momentum to advance all-round cooperation," Tan Ling said.
She highlighted trade and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. Guangdong has remained Singapore's largest provincial trading partner in China for 36 consecutive years, and bilateral trade reached 86.5 billion yuan ($12.8 billion) from January to May 2026, up 32.3 percent, she said.
The two sides have also designated 2026 as the "Guangdong-Singapore Student Exchange Year." Sixteen pairs of Guangdong and Singapore schools have so far formed sister-school partnerships under an education cooperation memorandum. The "He Xiangning: Ink & Intent" exhibition was staged at the National Gallery Singapore, and a Guangdong Hakka ensemble and musicians visited Singapore for cultural exchanges.
Tan Ling added that Guangdong stands ready to work with Singapore to implement the strategic consensus reached by leaders of the two sides, explore new cooperation fields, upgrade bilateral cooperation standards and jointly reap dividends from the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The reception was themed "Majulah Singapura" (Go Beyond! Singapore). In his remarks, Ambassador Peter Tan pointed to state-level bilateral projects such as the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, which he said showed the dynamism of the partnership between the two sides.
Tan also noted that this year is an important year for China and especially Guangdong, as Shenzhen is slated to host the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.
"With APEC's focus this year on openness, innovation and cooperation, it will be another valuable opportunity for our leaders to engage at the highest level and advance shared prosperity across the Asia-Pacific," he said.
Ambassador Tan also sang the Cantonese version of "Tomorrow Will Be Better," saying he hoped the friendship between Singapore and China would endure and that the two sides would stride toward a brighter future together.
In her remarks, Cindy Wee recalled Deng Xiaoping's 1978 visit to Singapore, during which he took a close interest in the country's development model. Fourteen years later, on his landmark southern tour of Guangdong, including Shenzhen, he reaffirmed China's commitment to reform and opening up and cited Singapore's experience as a reference for Shenzhen in attracting foreign investment.
As host of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, Shenzhen — once a fishing village, now a megacity—shows the world that openness, global connectivity and multilateral cooperation yield results, Wee said.
Wee said her posting as consul general in Guangzhou had given her the privilege of witnessing the close partnership between the two sides, which is anchored by the Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council.
"Through this platform, we have facilitated Singaporean investments in Guangdong and helped Chinese companies expand into Singapore and Southeast Asia," she said.
Reporter | Zhang Ruijun
Photo | Zhang Ruijun
