Fact Sheet: Recent Singapore-China Defence Interactions

High-Level Visits

Outgoing Visits

- Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean last made an official defence visit to China in October 2008, during which he met with Minister of National Defense General (GEN) Liang Guanglie. As part of his visit, Mr Teo also met with Vice Premier and Member of the Politburo Standing Committee Li Keqiang. Mr Teo also met with other key provincial officials and senior PLA commanders in Urumqi, Zhanjiang and Shenzhen, and visited the South Sea Fleet in Zhanjiang.

- During Mr Teo's visit to China in April 2009 in his capacity as Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service, Mr Teo also met with Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) General (GEN) Guo Boxiong, Minister of the Central Organisation Department Li Yuanchao and the Vice-Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Liu Hongcai.- Permanent Secretary (Defence) Chiang Chie Foo visited China in January 2008 to sign the Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Deputy Chief of General Staff GEN Ma Xiaotian and to co-chair the inaugural China-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD) with GEN Ma. GEN Ma also made a courtesy call on Mr Teo at the sidelines of his visit to Singapore in March 2009 to co-chair the 2nd DPD with Mr Chiang.

Incoming Visits

- The Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) GEN Xu Caihou made a stopover visit to Singapore in December 2008, during which he met with Mr Teo.- The Chief of General Staff (CGS) of the PLA GEN Chen Bingde made a bilateral defence visit to Singapore in October 2009, marking the first visit by a PLA CGS. During his visit, GEN Chen called on Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Mr Teo and then-Chief of Defence Force (CDF) LG Desmond Kuek.- Apart from bilateral visits, the PLA has been sending a Deputy Chief of General Staff (DCGS) to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) since 2007. Then DCGS LG Zhang Qinsheng attended SLD 2007, while GEN Ma attended SLD 2008 and 2009.

Ex Cooperation 2009

- The Singapore Armed Forces and the PLA conducted their inaugural joint training exercise in Guilin, China in June 2009. Codenamed COOPERATION 2009, the joint training exercise focused on the conduct of security operations for major events and marks the first bilateral training exercise between the SAF and the PLA. COOPERATION 2009 also serves to enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between the SAF and the PLA, which interact regularly through exchanges of visits, courses, seminars and port calls.

More Resources

DPM Teo Visits China