“We’re bound together by history, by family and by friendship”, Obama said.
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China has accused the United States of fuelling tensions in the region with patrols and exercises. But he also repeated his belief that the NATO-led bombing that drove dictator Moammar Gadhafi from power was necessary to prevent massacres.
In a blunt and virtually unprecedented presidential rebuke, Barack Obama on Tuesday described Donald Trump as “unfit” to be president and called on Republicans to disown him.
It also possible that the attacks on Trump could backfire as some have claimed occurred in the United Kingdom when Obama publicly supported the Remain side in the Brexit referendum, which lost in an upset.
Asked about that opposition, Obama responded: “Right now I’m president and I’m for it, and I think I have the better argument”.
“The alternative is that the entire party, the Republican Party, effectively endorses and validates the positions that are being articulated by Mr Trump”.
“There has to come a point in which you say “enough”, he said, in a comment directed at Republicans.
Otherwise, he said the denunciations are hollow.
“It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagement that probably cost his life”, she said. “The answer is to make sure that globalization and trade is working for us and not against us”.
The president also told the room that, “It’s not possible to cut ourselves off given how integrated our economies are…”
The prime minister joined President Obama for bilateral talks in the Oval Office.
If ratified, the pact, would seek to strengthen economic ties across the world’s largest ocean by slashing more than 18,000 tariffs between 12 Pacific Rim nations.
Singapore’s Lee warned that Washington’s credibility is at risk if the TPP is not ratified.
“In terms of the economic benefits, the TPP is a big deal”, Lee said.
Obama also noted that he and Lee had discussed the contentious maritime claims in the South China Sea, where countries are locked in disputes over small islands and freedom of navigation.
U.S. President Barack Obama wants Congress to approve the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal his administration has been negotiating for almost his entire time in office.
Obama and Lee plan to hold a joint news conference at the White House following their meeting.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during a reception and discussion, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016 in Washington. He says the US and Singapore share a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous Asia.
Dropping out of the trade deal could harm US relations with its allies in Asia, and may cause Japan to question whether it can continue to depend on the United States for security, Lee said. He says American policies and actions have contributed to peace and prosperity in Asia, though he says the region isn’t without challenges.
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. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two nations.
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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived in Washington, DC on Sunday to begin his official visit.
