PM Wong sends condolences to China over death of former premier Zhu Rongji

PM Wong paid tribute to Zhu, calling him “an old friend of Singapore”.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong conveyed his condolences to Chinese Premier Li Qiang following the demise of former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji. Zhu passed away in Beijing on August 12, just two months short of his 98th birthday. In a letter to Li dated August 13, Wong paid tribute to Zhu, highlighting his significant contributions to China's development and relations with Singapore.

Wong described Zhu as an "old friend of Singapore" and noted that the two leaders had met multiple times. Zhu became the first Chinese leader to deliver the Singapore Lecture in 1999, a prestigious series organized by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. His speech underscored his vision that China's economic growth would benefit Asia and the world, and he proposed a Free Trade Area between ASEAN and China.

Today, China is a crucial economic partner for Singapore and other regional nations, as Wong stated. Wong also recognized Zhu's early support for the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park and his encouragement of exchanges between Singapore and Shanghai officials during Zhu's tenure as Shanghai mayor. These efforts, according to Wong, established a solid foundation for the strong ties and extensive interactions between Singapore and China.

Wong emphasized that Zhu's contributions to China's progress and Singapore-China relations will be remembered for generations.

Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.