Singapore's PM Visits China to Cement Strained Ties
- Xi’s praise helps quiet speculation about frayed relationship
- Lee meets with four of China’s seven top leaders this week
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang welcomes Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sept. 19.
Photographer: Lintao Zhang/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to China this week signals efforts on both sides to bolster relations that have showed strains over the past year -- both in its timing and number of high-level meetings.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed ties while welcoming Lee to Beijing on Wednesday, the high point of a three-day visit heavy with political overtones for both sides. Lee met four members of the Communist Party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee -- Xi, Premier Li Keqiang, national legislature chief Zhang Dejiang and top graft-buster Wang Qishan -- as they prepare for a twice-a-decade reshuffle next month.