As part of the talks, the bank and Chinese officials discussed how to use Singapore as a base for launching expansion across Southeast Asia.

Singapore-based United Overseas Bank has been making a noise about its need to strengthen ties with mainland China.

Officials from the bank met senior figures from China last week about developing bilateral relations between Singapore and Shandong Province.

UOB said both sides want to use Singapore as a launchpad for businesses in the Chinese province to spread into Southeast Asia.

While relations between the West and mainland China have been uneasy recently - as seen by US/China trade tariffs - the meetings highlight how firms in Southeast and North Asia are pushing relations closer, if only for hard-headed financial reasons. With China now a strong producer of high net worth and ultra-HNW individuals, banks such as UOB see support for local businesses as building a pipeline of future clients across a number of segments, including private banking.

Since 2017, UOB has worked with organisations such as Qingjian Group Co and Shanghai Qilu Industrial (Group) Co, both based in Shandong.

UOB's Wee Ee Cheong, deputy chairman and chief executive, led a Bank delegation to Shandong Province, meeting Liu Jiayi, party secretary of the Shandong Provincial Committee, and Liu Qiang, vice governor of Shandong Province.