Global Courant 2023-05-15 13:45:00
SINGAPORE/BEIJING – A month before China resumed all visas to foreigners on March 15, Singaporean businessman Tony Du received an invitation to visit the country from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Sichuan Province.
Mr Du, who is the chairman of the Tian Fu Association, a Singaporean clan association for new Chinese immigrants, gathered a group of 30 members for the five-day trip starting March 25.
The delegation included business people, students and others, such as retired architect Liu Thai Ker. They entered on business visas processed with the help of the Chinese embassy in Singapore. While they paid for their airfare, all other expenses were borne by the Sichuan government.
To explore opportunities for cooperation, the group visited places such as the city of Mianyang, the districts of Wenjiang and Qingyang, and a development area called Tianfu New Area. In Chengdu, they met officials from the Singapore Consulate.
There were also talks with Chinese officials, the highest ranking of whom was Sichuan Provincial Standing Committee member Zhao Junming. Mr. Zhao also heads the Sichuan branch of the United Front Work Department, which maintains ties with the ethnic Chinese diaspora, particularly individuals who play important roles in their own communities.
Mr Du is among a small group of Singaporeans who were among the first to be invited to revisit China after it endured travel restrictions for nearly three years. As China doubles down on its economic recovery this year, it is well on its way to welcoming back foreign businessmen and investors with long-standing ties.
Mr Du and others speaking to The Straits Times described a China striving to move forward after one of the world’s longest Covid-19 lockdowns.
Former People’s Action Party MP Seng Han Thong visited Yunnan and Guizhou provinces with 20 others from February 25 to March 3.
The group stopped at locations such as the city of Maotai, where the fiery Kweichow Moutai liqueur is produced, as well as Zunyi, a historically significant location in Communist Party history.
The visit made local news and was hailed by Guizhou state media as the “first tourist group from Singapore” to visit the region since the pandemic.
Seng said of his visit: “There were far fewer people, but many shops were open and the desire to recover from the pandemic was there, although my impressions were superficial as I was only there for a short time.”
The ex-politician said the group traveled on business visas, which were approved with the help of the Chinese embassy. He was invited to join the trip as a regular customer of the organizer, China Express Travel, a Singapore-based agency specializing in travel to the northwestern parts of China. The founder Li Liang Yi was also part of the group.
When Mr Seng returned, he took part in a Guizhou-Singapore Trade and Investment Cooperation Symposium, which he posted about on his social media account.
