SINGAPORE – Health Minister Ong Ye Kung is on a visit to Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in China at the invitation of the region’s leader Ma Xingrui.
In a Facebook post on Oct 22, Mr Ong said: “Party Secretary Ma and I spoke at length about economic development, education and health issues in Xinjiang, and strengthening linkages with South-east Asia and partnership with Singapore.”
Mr Ong added that he visited three hospitals in the region – the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region People’s Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University and the Xinjiang International Regional Hospital, which is set to become operational in 2025 and cater to international patients, including those from Central Asia.
Mr Ong also visited the Tianshan Tianchi scenic area as well as the Xinjiang Regional Museum.
He described Mr Ma, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Regional Committee, as an old friend.
The pair used to co-chair the Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council when Mr Ma was the governor of Guangdong.
In his Facebook post, Mr Ong said: “I have been to China many times, but this is my first time to Xinjiang, in response to an open invitation from an old friend...
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“It is a fascinating region, an interchange between Asia and Europe. In fact, the countries that border Xinjiang in the West – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan – are east of Eastern Europe and referred to as Central Asia.”
He added that the region is an historical thoroughfare for land-based trade, and is home to many ethnic groups – Chinese, Hui, Kazakhs, Tajiks, Uighurs – living together, speaking languages that have blended ancient Chinese, Persian, Turkic and Indian languages.
Mr Ong has been in Xinjiang since Oct 20 and will end his working visit on Oct 25.