BEIJING: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Apr 28) met President of the Republic of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.
The two leaders reaffirmed the friendly relations between both countries, said the Prime Minister’s Office.
They also discussed potential cooperation in the areas of urban development, port and maritime development, logistics as well as the digital economy during the morning meeting.
Later in the day, Mr Lee visited the 2019 International Horticultural Exposition in Beijing’s Yanqing district – a mega expo featuring rare plants and more than 100 gardens from different countries.
Mr Lee, accompanied by Mrs Lee, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and other Government officials, toured the China Pavilion and the Singapore Garden.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Singapore Garden with Mr Jason Wright, deputy director of design from the National Parks Board, and other Government officials. c
The latter, designed by a 20-member team from the National Parks Board who started work since end-2017, is a 1,000 sq m garden featuring vertical greenery and sculptures to showcase Singapore’s lush tropical landscape.
The biggest draw is the 5,500 orchids from more than 200 species on display.
Among them include the Papilionanda Xi Jinping-Peng Liyuan – the orchid hybrid named after the Chinese President and his wife when they visited Singapore in 2015 – and the Aranda Lee Kuan Yew, which is named after Singapore’s founding prime minister.
After which, Mr Lee participated in a tree planting ceremony and attended the expo’s extravagant opening ceremony.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mrs Lee at the 2019 International Horticultural Exposition in Beijing on Apr 28, 2019. (Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information)
Mr Lee is on a five-day visit to the Chinese capital where he attended the Belt and Road Forum – a summit organised by China to showcase its mega infrastructure plan, which aims to rebuild the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europe and beyond.
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On Monday, which is Mr Lee’s final day in Beijing, he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr Lee will also meet and be hosted to lunch by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, with whom he will witness the signing of several memorandums of understanding between Singapore and China.
