On the afternoon of January 20, 2026, a Singaporean delegation from International College of Defense Studies, National Defence University (NDU), visited China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy (CIIDS) and held an exchange with CIIDS experts under the theme “Chinese Modernization and New Opportunities for China–Singapore Cooperation.”

Mr. Wang Boyong, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of CIIDS, extended a warm welcome to the delegation. He stated that, as a new-type think tank with Chinese characteristics, CIIDS upholds the principle of peaceful development and has long been committed to conducting major strategic research on both domestic and international issues. Through international platforms like the Understanding China Conference, CIIDS explains China’s development strategies and governance philosophy to the world. Wang noted CIIDS’s close collaboration with Singapore’s think tanks and expressed hope for deeper China–Singapore cooperation through this dialogue.

CIIDS experts stated that Chinese modernization is rooted in peaceful development and aims for shared growth with neighboring countries, including Singapore. They emphasized that China does not seek regional hegemony. China values its relations with ASEAN countries, consistently upholds multilateralism, and contributes to regional peace, stability, and prosperity. Singapore is China’s largest source of new foreign investment. China and ASEAN have been each other’s largest trading partners for years, demonstrating mutual benefits and potential for cooperation. China and Singapore share a consensus on political outlooks, economic ties, and development philosophies. As global uncertainty and regional turbulence increase, both sides should strengthen unity, coordinate more closely, and work together to safeguard regional and international order.

The Singaporean delegation exchanged views with CIIDS experts on China’s modernization process, regional cooperation in Southeast Asia, and the current international situation. They emphasized that Singapore attaches great importance to its strategic partnership with China and recognized that China’s development has made important contributions to stability and prosperity in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The delegation noted that the two sides share many similarities in policy continuity and long-term development planning, and that both have benefited greatly from cooperation. They also observed that Southeast Asian countries welcome China playing a more active role in regional affairs, and expressed expectations that China and Singapore would further deepen regional cooperation by leveraging their respective comparative advantages to jointly address challenges arising from globalization.

The exchange was chaired by Mr. Feng Wei, Vice Chairman of CIIDS. Also in attendance were Shen Yinyin, Deputy Secretary-General of CIIDS; Xie Maosong, Director of Committee on Chinese Civilization and the Chinese Road, CIIDS; Zhong Feiteng, Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; and Senior Colonel Shen Zhixiong, Director of Teaching and Translation Division I for Strategic and Defense Studies at International College of Defense Studies, NDU.