Press Release on Strengthening Legal and Security Cooperation Between Singapore and China

09 DEC 2019

  1. Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam is currently on an official visit to China from 5 to 13 December 2019. He is visiting Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

  2. During the visit, Minister Shanmugam had a bilateral meeting with Chinese Minister of Justice Fu Zhenghua in Guangzhou on 9 December 2019. Both sides affirmed the significant strides made in legal cooperation in recent years, including the agreement between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in November 2018, to include legal and judicial cooperation as a new area of bilateral cooperation under the Singapore-China All-Round Cooperative Partnership Progressing with the Times.

  3. In accordance with the leaders’ agreement, to bring legal cooperation to a new and higher level, the two Ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Exchanges and Cooperation between the Ministry of Law and the Chinese Ministry of Justice, establishing a Singapore-China Legal Cooperation Council that will convene biennially at the Vice-Minister level, alternating between Singapore and China. This will be complemented by annual working level meetings between the two Ministries to carry out legal cooperation activities under the auspices of the Council. Areas of cooperation covered by the MOU include strengthening the rule of law, international commercial dispute resolution, and the administration of the legal profession.

  4. Minister Shanmugam also attended the inaugural Global Lawyers Forum in Guangzhou at the invitation of Minister Fu, and delivered an address at the Opening Ceremony. In his speech, Minister Shanmugam discussed the global economic context and the importance of the rule of law in achieving economic progress while maintaining social stability.

  5. Earlier in Beijing (6 December 2019), Minister Shanmugam met with State Councillor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi and Vice Minister of Emergency Management Huang Ming. During the meetings, both parties reaffirmed the longstanding and warm relations between Singapore and China law enforcement and civil defence agencies, and discussed opportunities to further strengthen operational and training collaboration in these areas.

  6. In Shenzhen (8 December 2019), Minister Shanmugam spoke at a seminar jointly organised by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA), entitled “International Business Environment and International Commercial Dispute Resolution”. The seminar was attended by the Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Wang Lixin and more than 80 members of the government and legal community in Shenzhen. In his speech, Minister Shanmugam affirmed the partnership between SIAC and SCIA, and highlighted Singapore’s unique position and suitability for supporting the dispute resolution needs of Chinese companies in the region. He also touched on the complementary role Singapore can play in the Belt and Road and the new Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area initiatives.

  7. Minister Shanmugam will close the visit in Shanghai, where he will meet with Shanghai Vice Mayor and Public Security Bureau Director-General and Inspector-General Gong Dao’an. Minister Shanmugam will also visit the Shanghai Public Security Bureau to learn more about its operational capabilities and its use of technology to combat crime.

MINISTRY OF LAW AND MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
09 DEC 2019

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