BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhua) -- China confirmed Monday's launch of a fast-lane arrangement with Singapore to facilitate essential business and official travel between both countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the confirmation at the regular daily press briefing Tuesday when responding to a query about the issue.
China and Singapore are each other's important partners for cooperation. Since the epidemics broke out, the two countries have been in close collaboration while supporting and assisting each other, said the spokesperson.
"This is an important step for China and Singapore to return to regular exchange and cooperation and resume production and work while both sides are working on an ongoing basis to contain the virus," said Hua. "It is also China's first fast-lane arrangement with a Southeast Asian country that contributes to not only each other's socio-economic development, but also the stability of regional and even global industrial and supply chains."
The fast lane is established between six Chinese provinces and municipalities and Singapore in the first phase. The arrangement will be gradually expanded to other localities, and the two sides will discuss gradually resuming commercial flights between both countries, said Hua.
She said that the fast lane between China and the Republic of Korea is also open with good results. The fast lane arrangement between China and Germany is recently implemented and welcomed by the economic communities on both sides. The first two charter flights carrying German nationals returning to workplace in China arrived in Tianjin and Shanghai on May 30 and June 4, respectively. There are more plans for such charter flights in the future.
According to Hua, more countries are also discussing with China on similar arrangements.
"China has been taking necessary measures to facilitate foreign nationals' travel to China for essential economic, trade, scientific and technological activities," said Hua. "While containing the virus and ensuring safety and security, we will continue resuming people-to-people exchange in a step-by-step and orderly manner and contribute to the resumption of work and production in respective countries, deeper cooperation and the stability and smoothness of industrial and supply chains." Enditem
