Opening Remarks by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Acting Minister for Transport, at the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) Media Wrap-Up Interview

1.     As DPM and Minister Desmond Lee mentioned, we want to strengthen connectivity between Singapore and China, building on our strengths as an air hub and a maritime port – we’re the world’s largest transshipment hub port – as well as taking into account the more recent developments in green economy and digital economy. There are two areas that we wanted to discuss and follow up further under the framework of JCBC with our Chinese counterparts.

2.     First, the 30-day visa exemption waiver for both countries. I believe this will increase demand for travel for businesses and tourists. To facilitate this, we will be looking at how we can increase the number of direct flights between Singapore and China. Right now, we are at about 75% of pre-pandemic levels. We will be discussing with the Chinese Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of China, on how we can further increase the number of direct flights – first to restore fully to pre-pandemic levels, and also to go beyond and see whether we can surpass pre-pandemic levels. I think that will benefit the travellers and businesses from both countries. We have already received some requests from Chinese carriers to increase the number of flights during Chinese New Year in 2024. We will be happy to support this and we will see how we can facilitate the arrangements.

3.     On the maritime side, we are starting with Tianjin Port, with whom we signed the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor agreement. This is a concept where we can look at how to further strengthen supply chain sustainability and resilience between Singapore and Tianjin, tapping on the strengths of both ports. It is a good concept that we can then extend to other major ports in China, including Qingdao and Shanghai. We also have opportunities to work with cities like Chongqing and Suzhou, by tapping on the technology companies and startups to look at how we can promote more collaborations maritime technology. 

4.     刚刚副总理跟李部长都谈到了，我们要怎么样增加和中国之间的合作。这就包括了我们在互联互通方面的合作。新加坡是一个航空枢纽，也是一个海港，所以我们充分利用我们在这两方面的优势，也考虑到近年来的一些经济上的发展，例如绿色经济的发展跟数码经济的发展。 

5.     我们希望在两方面能够和中方进一步地加强我们的合作。第一就是30天的互免签证安排，我们相信这会增加双方的游客跟企业的交流和互动，所以直飞航班的数量就必须增加。我们目前是在冠病疫情前水平的大概75%左右，所以我们会和中国的交通部还有民航局进行讨论，尽快地恢复我们航班的数量到疫情前的百分之百，甚至可以超越。我们已经收到了中国的一些航空公司的申请，要增加他们在农历新年期间的航班次数，所以我们会支持他们的申请，做出适当的安排。 

6.     在海运方面，我们也和天津港签署了一个绿色数码船运走廊。这个概念是要加强我们供应链的可持续性，并确保它有效地运作，以增加供应链的韧性。这个概念其实不只是天津港，我们也可以扩展到中国的其他的港口，包括了青岛和上海。 

7.     我们也能够和重庆、苏州一起来进行合作，增加在这方面的合作，通过科技公司来推动在海运方面的科技的一些发展。