Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Singapore Monday afternoon to pay the Southeast Asian country an official visit and attend a series of leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation.

Li said upon arrival that it's his first official visit to Singapore as premier, which is expected to deepen cooperation and promote new development of bilateral ties.

The premier said cooperation is a must for win-win outcomes when facing rising protectionism, unilateralism and increasing uncertainties in the international context.

China would like to work with other countries to elevate the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, promote regional integration of East Asia, and send a positive signal of firmly safeguarding multilateralism and free trade, he said.