China sign free-trade pact with Singapore

China and Singapore signed a free-trade agreement in Beijing today, state media reported, capping two years of negotiations.     

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing ceremony, Xinhua news agency said.     

Trade between the two countries reached $47.2 bn in 2007, according to Xinhua, which said Singapore is China's eighth-largest trading partner.     

China is Singapore's third largest trading partner and largest investment destination, according to the Singapore government.