BEIJING - This is the first year that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong co-chaired Singapore’s top-level annual bilateral forum with China – but could it be his last?

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in November that he will hand over the reins of the People’s Action Party (PAP) – and therefore the premiership – to DPM Wong by the party’s 70th birthday next November “if all goes well”.

The Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), which is co-chaired by a Singaporean deputy prime minister and a Chinese vice-premier, is usually held at the end of the year. 

At an interview with the Singapore media at the end of his four-day trip to China, DPM Wong was asked if this would be his first and last time co-chairing the JCBC, given that he could be prime minister by this time next year.  

Laughing, DPM Wong urged against speculation, pointing out that the timeline of the leadership transition has yet to be nailed down. “Whether this will be my last, I would say let’s not speculate. There are many other things on the agenda,” he said. 

“So if all goes well, hopefully we’ll find the time... for transition, and then all the rest of the consequences will follow after that,” he added. 

DPM Wong took over responsibility for Singapore’s cooperation with China earlier this year, replacing DPM Heng Swee Keat. 

Next year will mark the forum’s 20th anniversary, and it is slated to be held in Singapore. The JCBC is held alternately in Singapore and China.

PM Lee had said during the PAP’s biennial convention that DPM Wong will lead the party in the next general election, which must be held by November 2025.

Given that the ministers have already chosen DPM Wong as their leader, the only major decision remaining is when the handover should take place.