China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Singapore at the start of a three-nation regional tour, Beijing’s embassy in the city-state said, as tensions flare with the Philippines in the South China Sea.
His three-day trip, after returning to the post last month following the unexplained disappearance of predecessor Qin Gang, also includes Malaysia and Cambodia.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy confirmed yesterday morning that Beijing’s top diplomat had arrived in the financial hub.
“China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with the three South-East Asian countries through this visit,” China’s foreign ministry said when it announced the trip on Wednesday.
Wang will visit until today and hold separate meetings with his counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s government said.
His visit comes after Beijing and Manila clashed at the weekend when the Philippines accused Chinese Coast Guard vessels of blocking and firing water cannon at its boats on a resupply mission to Filipino marines stationed on a World-War-II-era ship.
China has since insisted the Philippine navy vessel grounded on a reef in the Spratly Islands be removed from the hotly contested waters that have long been a flashpoint between the two.
Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines are all members of Asean, which is in talks with China over a code of conduct in the sea that Beijing claims as almost entirely its own.
Other Asean members Vietnam, Indonesia and Brunei all claim parts of the sea, too.
Wang will travel to Malaysia on toda where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he will meet with Beijing’s envoy in the northern state of Penang.
Wang will finish his trip in Cambodia, which has become one of China’s strongest allies in the region under the rule of outgoing ruler Hun Sen. — AFP
