On September 14, 2023, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Tharman Shanmugaratnam on his inauguration as President of Singapore.

Xi Jinping noted that China and Singapore are each other's friendly neighbor and important cooperation partner. Thanks to the efforts of both sides, China and Singapore have jointly embarked on a successful path of mutual learning and win-win cooperation, which has not only boosted their respective development and revitalization, but also set a fine example of cooperation between regional countries. Noting that this year’s elevation of the China-Singapore relationship to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership has charted the course for the high-level development of bilateral relations in the new era, Xi Jinping said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Singapore relations, and stands ready to establish a good working relationship with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to steer bilateral relations to new heights, promote better integration and mutual reinforcement of the two countries' modernization drives, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and make greater contributions to regional peace, prosperity and stability.