‘We’re bound together by history, by family and by friendship’: Obama celebrates 50 years of US-Singapore relations with state dinner
Obama reserved the 12th state dinner of his presidency to honour Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife
President Barack Obama celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations with Singapore with a state dinner for a leader Obama praised as respected around the world and a trusted partner.
Obama reserved the 12th state dinner of his presidency to honour Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife, Ho Ching. Obama said the nations’ ties go back nearly two centuries when Singapore was still a colony, and the US had recently emerged as an independent country. He said the alliance is about more than shared strategic interests in a rising Asia Pacific.
“We’re bound together by history, by family and by friendship,” Obama said.
The state dinner included a mix of Washington officials and celebrities. Among those at the head table with the Obamas and Lees were actors Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, author Amy Tan, former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona, and her husband, retired Navy Captain Mark Kelly, Sam’s Club President and CEO Rosalind Brewer, and Caterpillar Inc, chairman and CEO Douglas Oberhelman.
The allies share close economic and security ties, with more than 3,500 US companies having a presence in Singapore. Singapore was the first Southeast Asian country to join in the fight against the Islamic State group.