BEIJING - Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said here on Monday that China and Singapore should strengthen exchanges and cooperation so as to advance bilateral relations.

Zhang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remark as he met Singapore's Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and his entourage in Beijing.

Zhang said Goh is an old friend of the Chinese people and has made important contributions to the development of the China-Singapore bond. Since China and Singapore established diplomatic ties, bilateral relations have maintained sound growth, he said, adding that the joint projects of Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-City have become examples of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Beijing last month. The two sides reached important consensus on the new-era relationship and cooperation between China and Singapore.

Goh expressed readiness to continue to expand and deepen practical cooperation between the two countries and lift bilateral links to new stages. He said China's development is in the interests of Singapore and the region.