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DPM Teo Visits China
20 April 2010
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean is in China for an official visit. This morning, Mr Teo visited the 2nd Army Aviation Regiment of the Chengdu Military Region.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean is in China for an official visit. This morning, Mr Teo visited the 2nd Army Aviation Regiment of the Chengdu Military Region. Mr Teo was briefed on the 2nd Army Aviation Regiment and its contributions to the Sichuan earthquake disaster relief efforts in 2008 by the Commander of the Regiment. Mr Teo also viewed the helicopters operated by the Regiment. While in Chengdu, Mr Teo also met Commander of the Chengdu Military Region LG Li Shiming and senior officials of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
During the meetings, both sides reaffirmed the good bilateral relationship between Singapore and China, and noted the progress made in the defence relationship between the two countries. Over the next few days, Mr Teo, who is also the Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service, will be visiting the China Executive Leadership Academy in Yan'an (CELAY), where he will meet Shaanxi Vice Party Secretary Wang Xia and Executive Vice-President of CELAY Chen Yannan. While at CELAY, Mr Teo will have a dialogue with students of the Academy and receive briefings on the historical roots of the Communist Party of China and the PLA as well as the Academy's leadership development framework. Mr Teo is scheduled to meet with key Chinese political and defence leaders such as Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission General (GEN) Xu Caihou, Minister of National Defense GEN Liang Guanglie and PLA Chief of General Staff GEN Chen Bingde in Beijing. Mr Teo will also visit the 24th Air Division of the Beijing Military Region in Tianjin.
Mr Teo's visit is part of the regular exchange of high-level bilateral visits by top leaders of Singapore and China and is a continuation of the exchange of visits by defence ministers since 1997. It underscores the multifaceted and broad-based relationship between Singapore and China, and the good defence ties following the signing of the bilateral agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation (ADESC) in January 2008. The two armed forces interact regularly through the exchange of visits, courses, seminars and port calls, and conducted their inaugural bilateral training exercise in Guilin, China in June 2009.
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