Harris to call on President, meet PM on Monday

United States Vice-President Kamala Harris will begin her formal engagements on Monday with a call on President Halimah Yacob at the Istana, followed by a meeting and joint media conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

A new orchid hybrid will be named in her honour in a ceremony at the Istana.

She will also visit Changi Naval Base and the US littoral combat ship USS Tulsa, which is in port for a multilateral exercise.

On Tuesday, Ms Harris will deliver a policy speech and participate in a round-table discussion with the business community that will involve Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

She will leave Singapore for Vietnam on Tuesday afternoon.

This will be the Vice-President's first visit to Asia, and it comes on the heels of US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin's trip to Singapore and the region late last month.

Ms Harris, who is the first woman and first person of colour to hold the second-highest office in the United States, is expected to meet Singapore leaders and discuss ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in multiple areas.

Covid-19, climate change, the digital economy and security will be top of the agenda, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said earlier this week.

Ms Harris will be accompanied by senior US officials from the Vice-President's Office, National Security Council and State Department.