Boao Asia Forum | Huang Xuncai: China can help shape the ever-evolving economic landscape of the Asia-Pacific region

Ask AI · After Singapore assumes the ASEAN rotating chairmanship, how will it deepen cooperation with China?

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan on March 26 that Singapore is confident in China’s long-term prospects and will continue to maintain a close partnership with China. He also said Singapore is willing to work with China to jointly promote cooperation among regional economic organizations and to build such cooperation, and said Singapore supports China’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).

Wong made the above remarks when delivering his speech at the opening plenary session of the Boao Forum for Asia 2026 annual conference that day. He emphasized that Singapore believes China can play an even greater role in supporting regional prosperity and stability, and that China’s vast domestic market can become a strong growth engine for the region, adding, “China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period places even more emphasis on domestic demand, and will create new opportunities for the region.”

Singapore will take over the ASEAN rotating chairmanship next year. Wong said that ASEAN and China have enormous potential to deepen cooperation. The recent upgrading of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area version 3.0 will further strengthen economic ties between the two sides. The Singapore side will advance regional integration together with member countries and cooperate closely with China, Japan, South Korea, India, and other partners to ensure that ASEAN remains open and interconnected, continuing to be an important driver of global growth and cooperation.

In October 2025, China and ASEAN signed a protocol upgrading the free trade area version 3.0. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area version 3.0 covers 9 areas, including the digital economy, the green economy, supply chain interconnectivity, standards and technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, customs procedures and trade facilitation, competition and consumer protection, small and medium-sized and micro enterprises, and economic and technical cooperation.

Wong also said, China can further help shape the ever-evolving economic landscape in the Asia-Pacific region. He emphasized that against the backdrop of accelerating global fragmentation, the world needs to firmly support an open, rules-based trade system. Hainan Free Trade Port is a concrete manifestation of China’s commitment to opening up to the outside world.

Wong elaborated on his view from multiple angles. First, China has placed science, technology, and innovation at the core of its development strategy, and has already taken the lead in key emerging areas, including digital technologies and green technologies.

Second, growing interest in Chinese culture and innovation worldwide, covering fields such as film, music, games, consumer brands, and digital platforms. This is especially evident among young people across the world, and reflects China’s expanding influence in the creative economy and the digital economy.

Third, with its increasingly stronger capabilities, China contributes to global development through platforms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Belt and Road Initiative; and Singapore also sees their potential to strengthen interconnectivity and create opportunities, and considers them early supporters of both initiatives.

In addition, China has taken action to shoulder greater responsibilities in the international system, such as voluntarily waiving some of the special and differential treatment that the World Trade Organization grants to developing countries, and has said it is willing to fulfill international obligations commensurate with its development level.

Finally, China continues to contribute to discussions on global issues, such as the concepts of a “community with a shared future for mankind” and the “four major initiatives,” which reflect China’s willingness to actively shape the global agenda. “Singapore welcomes this constructive interaction and will cooperate with China in areas of shared concern, including sustainable development and global governance,” Wong said.