page_title: Hong Kong–Singapore relations
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Hong Kong–Singapore relations / History
caption_attribution_description: 中文: 第18任香港總督金文泰爵士（1875 - 1947）督憲閣下。任期為1925.11 - 1930.2
context_page_description: Both Hong Kong and the Republic of Singapore are former British colonies which have maintained trade relations since the 19th century, and have both become important financial centre, maintaining diplomatic missions and trade offices to further their bilateral relations.
  In addition to being represented by the Chinese Embassy, the Government of the Hong Kong SAR also operates a Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore. Similarly, in addition to its Embassy in Beijing, Singapore has a Consulate-General in Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was under British rule, it was known as the Singapore Commission.
context_section_description: Singapore and Hong Kong started trading in the 19th century. According to newspapers in Hong Kong, the idea of a rivalry between Hong Kong and Singapore had been around since the 1900s. In 1923, the Japanese Association of Singapore published a book named The Introduction of Singapore, which showed that there were trade relations between Hong Kong and Singapore and there were Japanese merchant ships operating routes between Hong Kong and Singapore.
  When Hong Kong and Singapore were both under British rule, some officials would serve as Governor of Hong Kong before becoming Governor of the Straits Settlements  (or later, of Singapore) or vice versa.
  For example, Cecil Clementi was Governor of Hong Kong between 1925 and 1930 and the Governor of the Straits Settlements between 1930 and 1934. Robert Black was the Governor of Singapore between 1955 and 1957, and the Governor of Hong Kong between 1958 and 1964.
  In addition, they would introduce practices in one colony which they had introduced in the other. For example, when Clementi was Governor of the Straits Settlements, Chinese people were appointed to the Executive Council of the Straits Settlements, as was the case with the Executive Council of Hong Kong.
  Similarly, when Black was Governor of Hong Kong, he implemented the localisation of the civil service in Hong Kong, as had occurred in Singapore. He also appointed local people in Hong Kong to become high officials in the Government of Hong Kong.
  Lee Kuan Yew, who became the Prime Minister of Singapore in 1959, had visited Hong Kong several times during his office and expressed opinions about political development of Hong Kong. In 1984, the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed between China and the United Kingdom stating that the former would take over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, stimulating waves of mass migrations from Hong Kong. Hence, the government of Singapore issued a quota of 25,000 family immigrant visas for people in Hong Kong.
  In 1997, Tang Liang Hong, the leader of the Workers' Party in Singapore fled to Australia. He published the book Memoir of Tang Liang Hong during his stay in Hong Kong with the assistance of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 2000, the Chinese University of Hong Kong conferred an honorary doctorate upon Lee Kuan Yew, to the dissatisfaction of the Student Union of the university. The union organized a petition to urge the university rescind the decision.
  On September 17, 2014, Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, visited Hong Kong and met with Leung Chun Ying, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Leung Chun Ying and Lee Hsien Loong talked about cooperation and interaction between Hong Kong and Singapore including housing, land use planning and infrastructures. Leung Chun Ying also organized a banquet to regale Lee Hsien Loong.
  Following Lee Kuan Yew's death on March 23, 2015, Leung expressed condolences over the death of Lee by sending a message to his son, Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore.
  On June 30, 2015, Amos Yee, a Singaporean blogger, was sentenced to four weeks in jail due to uploading a video criticizing Lee Kuan Yew. Student unions from eight universities in Hong Kong protested near the Consulate General of Singapore in Hong Kong to urge the government of Singapore to release Amos Yee.
caption: Cecil Clementi was the Governor of Hong Kong between 1925 and 1930 and the Governor of the Straits Settlements between 1930 and 1934
exif: {}