The prime minister of Singapore joined President Barack Obama at the White House Tuesday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of US diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian city state.
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“There have been Republican presidents with whom I’ve disagreed with, but I didn’t have a doubt that they could function as president”, Obama said.
At a news conference Tuesday, Obama noted that many leading Republicans in Congress have denounced various Trump statements. The U.S. and Singapore are among the 12 nations in the TPP that would cut trade barriers and tariffs.
US President Barack Obama defended a trade deal that would draw the US together with 11 Asian Pacific nations that has come under fire from presidential candidates of both major political parties.
The Republican-controlled Congress, however, has shown little urgency in moving forward with a vote to ratify the deal, leaving in limbo one of Obama’s signature foreign policy objectives.
Singapore, a close US partner, is one of the 12 nations in the TPP, an agreement key to Obama’s effort to boost USA exports and build strategic ties in Asia.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged the United States to maintain its “indispensable role” in the Asia-Pacific and ratify the TPP as he joined Obama at the White House to celebrate the 50th anniversary of US diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian city state.
“This marks the first official state visit by a Singaporean prime minister in over 30 years”.
U.S. -Asia relations and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal involving both Singapore and the United States are on the agenda.
The White House is honoring Singapore’s Prime Minister with the highest form of Washington flattery: a formal state visit capped by a black-tie dinner featuring Maryland blue crab and American Wagyu beef.
But his comments in the East Room of the White House – where Abraham Lincoln lay in state and Theodore Roosevelt today casts a painted gaze – are a significant and highly personal escalation of presidential rhetoric. Hundreds of US military members in blue and white uniforms formed an honor guard, some carrying bayoneted rifles.
During talks Tuesday morning, Obama and Lee are also expected to discuss efforts to combat terror, including in Southeast Asia, where Islamist cells are known to operate. The U.S. says the ruling is binding but China has rejected it. Southeast Asian nations have been reluctant to speak out against Beijing.
Lee warned that failure to pass the agreement would have negative repercussions for USA relations with the 11 nations who signed the agreement.
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The remark seemed a rebuke not only to Donald Trump – who has lambasted the TPP deal on the campaign trail – but also Hillary Clinton, who also opposes the plan.
