Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Singapore on November 12. This was the first time in eleven years that the Chinese Premier came to Singapore. He had massive before and after media coverage on the issue of the continuation of China’s Reform and Opening-Up. Precisely 40 years earlier, on the same day, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping visited Singapore. In that same year, he later kicked off the Reform. Li’s mission also included the task of obtaining Singapore’s support to push the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) initiative. On November 7, only five days before Li, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan had just left Singapore. During his three-day visit, Wang emphasized that China was determined to “push China’s openness to a higher level.” Then, on September 19, China’s Vice Premier Han Zheng visited Singapore as well. His visit focused on Singapore’s role as the “Witness to China’s Great Reform” as well as the role or middleman between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is very unusual that three members of top China’s top leadership would visit the same country within two months.
Source: Sina, November 13, 2018
https://news.sina.com.cn/c/xl/2018-11-13/doc-ihnvukfe5140799.shtml