PM Wong attends dinner with Trump hosted by South Korea ahead of Apec meet
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GYEONGJU, South Korea – Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and five other world leaders were invited to dinner with US President Donald Trump as the guest of honour ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ meeting in Gyeongju.
The dinner, hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, was held on Oct 29 at the Hilton Gyeongju.
In social media posts after the dinner, PM Wong said the leaders had a wide-ranging and engaging conversation on global developments.
“Always valuable to exchange perspectives with friends and partners from around the world,” he said.
He also posted a photo of himself with Mr Trump holding up a customised Republic of Singapore Air Force bomber jacket, similar to the ones worn by Singaporean pilots training in the US.
“Singapore values our security partnership with the US, and I conveyed our deep appreciation for America’s longstanding support of our Singapore Armed Forces training in the US,” he said.
He presented Mr Trump with the jacket as a token of this partnership.
In a separate post, he said that Singapore has always believed in partnership and open cooperation.
“At Apec, we’ll be working with our neighbours to keep our region connected, competitive and future-ready.”
He arrived in Gyeongju on Oct 29 ahead of the annual summit, which will run from Oct 31 to Nov 1. It brings together the leaders of 21 economies
Also at the dinner were Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong.
PM Lawrence Wong (right) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump with Australian PM Anthony Albanese looking on during the dinner in Gyeongju, South Korea on Oct 29.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Opening the dinner, Mr Lee said the summit is a rare opportunity to gather as the world faces multiple challenges.
Mr Trump also gave remarks, where he spoke about recent trade deals he had made with South Korea and Japan, and his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping
