Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is now having an official visit to Washington DC at the invitation of President Obama from 31 July to 5 August 2016.
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“If you care about preventing abuse of workers, child labor, wildlife trafficking, overfishing, the decimation of forests – all of those things are addressed in this agreement”, Obama said.
He says to “pull up the drawbridge” would hurt American workers.
In a clear reference to Clinton, the president’s preferred successor, Obama said he respects those who warn the deal undercuts USA workers and their wages.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton said during her tenure as Obama’s secretary of state that the TPP “sets the gold standard in trade agreements”. Though Mrs. Clinton praised the agreement while serving in the Obama administration, she has run a campaign opposing it. Mr. Trump has made opposition to TPP, the North American Free Trade Agreement and outsourcing a key part of his campaign.
“What I also think is important is for people to recognize that the alternative is not TPP or some imaginary circumstance in which suddenly we’re able to sell goods around the world wherever we want”, he said.
President Barack Obama has once again spoken out against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying that he is “woefully unprepared” to serve as leader.
At Tuesday’s conference, Lee expressed his support for the deal. He also expressed his neutral stance on the outcome of the USA presidential election.
He also stated that the ratification of this agreement would be a “Litmus test of your [United States] credibility and seriousness of objective”, in the region. “Both leaders committed to further enhance the U.S. -Singapore strategic partnership, making it deeper, more substantive, and more effective to better support peace, stability, and cooperation across the region and around the world”.
“Right now, I’m president and I’m for it”.
Obama said “some past trade deals have not delivered on all the benefits that were promised and had very localized costs”, acknowledging lost jobs.
He added he is willing to publicly sit down with opponents on the right and the left to discuss the deal’s provisions. The objective of the deal is to eliminate trade barriers and tariffs, 18,000 in total, streamline standards, and encourage investment between the countries.
Singapore, a city state of 5.7 million people, is heavily dependent on global trade for its prosperity.
In an interview published Monday by the Straits Times of Singapore, Obama said he knew the politics of trade “can be very hard, especially in an election year”. He says the US and Singapore share a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous Asia. Under Obama, the US has deployed littoral combat ships in Singapore, and last December, deployed a P-8 Poseidon spy plane there for the first time, amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea.
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Mr Lee had visited Arlington National Cemetery yesterday to honour the sacrifice and courage for many American Military men and women as they have helped stabilise and promote progress in our region. The U.S. says the ruling is binding but China has rejected it. Southeast Asian nations have been reluctant to speak out against Beijing. President Ronald Reagan hosted Lee’s father, Lee Kuan Yew, in 1985.
