国内英语新闻:Chinese state councilor sends "old buddy" message to Singaporean taxi driver

SINGAPORE, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi wished a "happy life" to a Singaporean taxi driver he encountered when climbing a mountain.

Wang is in Singapore to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers' meetings and related meetings.

Despite a tight schedule, the Chinese top diplomat climbed the 163-meter Bukit Timah mountain, the highest mountain in the country on Thursday when he did a morning exercise.

"On the way uphill I met a Singaporean with whom I had a pleasant and aspiring conversation," Wang told reporters after a bilateral meeting on Friday, adding that the Singaporean, who had no idea about Wang's identity at first, acted as a guide for him and introduced him Singapore's history.

"Old buddy, wish you have time to climb the mountain every day and enjoy a healthy and happy life," Wang told the reporters with a smile on his face.

The man, whom Wang later knew from his colleagues was a taxi driver, demonstrated qualities of "resilience, open-mindedness and optimism about the future," which have contributed to Singapore's continuous development, the Chinese top diplomat said.