Singapore, China sign MOUs to boost cooperation in areas such as green development, digital economy and maritime connectivity

It will see Singapore and China continue cooperating in areas such as investment cooperation, digital trade, sharing of best practices on digital economy regulations and policies, enabling digitally enabled services and establishing a trusted and secure digital environment.

Maritime collaboration: The transport ministries of Singapore and China also exchanged an MOU to establish the Singapore-China Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC).

It had earlier been signed by Mr Jeffrey Siow, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport, and his counterpart Liu Wei on Oct 19.

The new agreement will take Singapore and China’s GDSC cooperation to the national level, beyond the municipality and provincial-level ones, which had been established with Tianjin in 2023 and Shandong last year.

Both sides will work with industry stakeholders to advance maritime decarbonisation, enhance port and supply-chain efficiency, and develop supporting technologies, infrastructure, and standards to promote a more sustainable and connected maritime ecosystem.

The MOU also seeks to strengthen digitalisation in maritime transport operations, by promoting the use of data-driven systems to enhance efficiency, resilience and transparency.

Emergency management: Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and China’s Ministry of Emergency Management signed an MOU to promote cooperation in emergency management.

Under the MOU, both parties will explore cooperation and mutual exchange of knowledge and expertise in firefighting, rescue and disaster management.

Suzhou Industrial Park: MTI’s Software Project Office and China’s Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) Administrative Committee signed an MOU to further explore collaboration in third-party markets in developing the industrial park.

Food safety: Both countries renewed an MOU on Food Safety Cooperation, signed by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu and China’s Minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation Luo Wen.

The MOU was first signed in 2020, and this updated version will cover new areas, such as the exchange of information and experience in food safety testing methodologies, and the regulation of food-health interface products, such as foods added with traditional Chinese medicinal materials.

An MOU on cooperation in the ICT field, first signed in May 2004 at the inaugural Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting, was also renewed.