Lam met Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security of Singapore, Teo Chee Hean, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, Vivian Balakrishnan, at Government House yesterday. Also present was the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah.

Welcoming their visit to Hong Kong, Lam said that Singapore was the destination of her first official trip overseas after taking office five years ago, which signifies the strong relationship between Hong Kong and Singapore. She was pleased to receive the two ministers as her five-year term as the SAR's leader is coming to an end.

"Hong Kong and Singapore have long enjoyed strong bilateral ties, which have been further strengthened through the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Investment Agreement between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that came into full effect in early 2021. I am grateful to the Singapore government for its support for the conclusion of these important agreements. With Hong Kong aspiring to join and contribute to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), I look forward to Singapore's continued support," Lam said.

RCEP is a FTA between the ten member states of the ASEAN, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and its five FTA partners, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and Republic of Korea.

Lam said Hong Kong's participation will help further consolidate the regional supply chain through the provision of more access and choices of high-quality services to enterprises, thereby stimulating economic activities in the region.

"In my several political positions over the past 15 years, I have made numerous visits to Singapore to attend conferences and meet with senior officials. Apart from enhancing mutual exchanges and experience sharing, I very much treasure the friendship nurtured and hope to visit Singapore again in the not too distant future," Lam said.