PM Lee affirms Singapore’s warm bilateral ties with US

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has affirmed Singapore’s warm relations with the US and has welcomed the continued commitment by the Obama administration to engage the region.

Mr Lee said this as he hosted breakfast at the Istana for US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is on an official visit to Singapore from November 16—18.

He also expressed appreciation for Mrs Clinton’s important role in ensuring the sustained and broad—based US engagement of the region, including in the economic sphere.

Among those who were also present at the breakfast were:

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean;

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam;

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources as well as Foreign Affairs Grace Fu; and

Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo.

Mrs Clinton and Prime Minister Lee exchanged views on international and regional developments.

These included initiatives for closer US—ASEAN cooperation and the agenda of the upcoming East Asia Summit.

Mrs Clinton next visited General Electric Aviation’s Airfoil Technologies International facility in Changi.

The first GE Aviation engine component repair facility was established in Singapore more than 30 years ago.

Today, GE’s two major facilities in Singapore generate over S$1.2b in revenues while employing more than 1,600 workers.

The two facilities are the GE Aviation Service Operation (GEASO) and the Airfoil Technologies International (ATI).

GEASO and ATI were established in 1981 and 1998 respectively to provide repair services for GE commercial aviation engines.

GE Aviation says it will continue to invest in Singapore as this supports Singapore’s economic development as well as US job creation and export growth.

Over the next few days, US President Barack Obama and Mrs Clinton will visit Thailand and Myanmar, followed by Cambodia where Obama will attend the East Asia Summit.

— CNA/ir