Singapore Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivers the keynote address at the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park High-Quality Development Forum on November 25, 2024. Photo: screenshot

"It would be both "short-sighted" and "unwise" to write off China," the world's second-largest economy despite challenges at home and abroad, Senior Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong said when addressing a forum in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province on Monday.

"China's development is an enterprise that will take 100 years. It has shown that it can take a strategic perspective to maintain consistent policies and direction over the long term, riding through transient ups and downs in its development journey," Lee said, Singapore-based CNA reported.

The Senior Minister Lee made the remark while delivering the keynote address at the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park High-Quality Development Forum, marking the park's 30th anniversary.

At the invitation of the Chinese side, Lee is visiting China from November 24 to 29.

The Chinese economy retains "considerable capacity" to grow, considering the untapped potential in its workforce and higher productivity from an increasingly urbanized population, he added, the CNA report said.

"We must never underestimate the Chinese people's determination for their nation to succeed and stand tall in the world. This is a driving ambition. Its impact cannot be captured in economic statistics, but it will make all the difference."

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met with Senior Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong on Monday in Suzhou.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the two sides should focus on the new positioning of bilateral relations, make full use of cooperation platforms such as the Suzhou Industrial Park, and work together to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, Xinhua News Agency reported.

They agreed the two countries should give better play to the pioneering role of the park, deepen institutional reform, and work together to build a world-class science and technology park that is open and innovative. They also witnessed the signing of cooperation documents, the Xinhua report said.

Global Times