PM Lee on working visit to US from today

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make a working visit to the United States from today to April 2, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said yesterday.

He will meet US President Joe Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris and other Cabinet secretaries in Washington before heading to New York. PM Lee will also meet senior members of the US Senate and House of Representatives. The meetings will review and discuss ways to further advance cooperation, the PMO said in its statement.

"The visit will build on the robust, longstanding and multi-faceted relationship between Singapore and the US," it added.

This will be PM Lee's first visit to the US under the Biden administration, which took office in January last year.

His last trip to the US was in September 2019, when he met then President Donald Trump and delivered Singapore's national statement at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

For the upcoming trip, PM Lee will participate in a dialogue with the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think-tank that specialises in US foreign policy and international relations.

In New York, PM Lee will meet United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, industry and financial sector leaders, as well as other prominent US personalities.

PM Lee will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Trade and In-dustry Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Communications and Infor-mation Josephine Teo, and officials from the PMO and the respective ministries.

Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will be the Acting Prime Minister in PM Lee's absence, said the PMO.

Singapore and the US share a wide-ranging relationship, with substantial cooperation in defence, economic and security areas. Last year, both countries marked 55 years of diplomatic relations.

The US is the largest foreign direct investor by country in Singapore, with an investment stock worth $528 billion in 2020. Singapore is the US' second-largest Asian investor after Japan.

Regular high-level engagements have continued during the Covid-19 pandemic. For instance, top US officials such as Vice-President Harris and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin made trips to Singapore last year.