Gan Kim Yong, Minister of Health of Singapore, visited SIP Thursday. The Singaporean delegation paid a visit to SIP Planning Exhibition Hall (SIPPEH) and Jiuling Apartment to find out about SIP's health and aged care work. After the visit, Qu Futian, vice secretary of CPC Suzhou Committee and mayor of Suzhou, met with Gan Kim Yong and his entourage in SIP. 

An important cooperation project between the Chinese and the Singaporean governments, SIP was approved by the State Council and initiated in 1994, and its area of administrative division totals 278 square kilometers. At SIPPEH, Gan Kim Yong listened carefully to the introduction about SIP and watched movies and planning models to find out about SIP's achievements in terms of economy, society, urban development, etc. during the past 22 years. Gan Kim Yong spoke highly of SIP's innovative development, and noted that SIP's implementation of opening and innovation comprehensive experiment is a new model in the forefront of the times.  

At Jiuling Apartment, Gan Kim Yong listened attentively to the briefing about the apartment. Constructed by SIP Working Committee and SIP Administrative Committee to meet the aged care demand in SIP, Jiuling project is a comprehensive aged care facility that combines aged care resources and medical resources, and is made up of Jiuling Rest Home, Jiuling Nursing Home and Aged Care Service Center.     

Gan Kim Yong visited the dancing room, multifunction hall, dining hall and nursing home, inquiring in detail about SIP's aged care work, and commented positively on Jiuling Apartment's effort in providing for the elderly. 

Qu Futian said that the cooperation between China and Singapore is literally a model for inter-government cooperation and on top of that, SIP is a successful case. After briefing the guest on Suzhou's aged care work and the progress of medical care reform, Qu Futian said that Singapore has very good experience in social undertakings and Suzhou looks forward to working together with Singapore to jointly push forward the development of the city's health care work.
Gan Kim Yong hoped the cooperation between the two parties would go beyond economy and industry into social and cultural cooperation, especially in medical insurance; he also hoped to cooperate with SIP to explore long-term solutions to the aging problem and provide sample experience for other regions.