Vice President Harris Engages in Diplomatic Dialogue with Singapore’s Leadership: A Summary of Calls with Prime Minister Wong and Senior Minister Lee

Vice President Kamala Harris engaged separately today with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore. The Vice President conveyed her disappointment that she could no longer travel to Singapore due to the unprecedented wildfires in Los Angeles. She expressed gratitude to both leaders for their collaboration throughout the Biden-Harris Administration in enhancing the U.S.-Singapore alliance. The leaders reflected on the Vice President’s ongoing involvement in the Indo-Pacific and her efforts to broaden the U.S.-Singapore partnership, which began during her visit in August 2021. They examined the execution of several initiatives that the Vice President introduced during that trip to tackle climate change and clean energy, cyber collaboration, supply chains, emerging technologies, and bilateral military cooperation. Building on her one-on-one meetings with Singaporean officials and multilateral summits with Indo-Pacific leaders, the Vice President highlighted the ongoing significance of upholding international regulations and standards globally, specifically concerning freedom of navigation and aerial passage in the South China Sea. The leaders emphasized the continued relevance of ASEAN centrality and the fortification of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship within the Biden-Harris Administration, including through the Vice President’s involvement in the 2023 U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Jakarta and the 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, D.C. The Vice President reiterated her belief that the United States possesses lasting interests and obligations in the Indo-Pacific and voiced her optimism for the future given the vibrancy in Southeast Asia. The Vice President underlined the significance of U.S.-Singapore collaboration in fostering security and prosperity in the region and globally. With Senior Minister Lee, the Vice President expressed gratitude for the kindness he extended to her during her 2021 visit to Singapore and acknowledged their cordial and constructive interactions over the past four years.

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