WASHINGTON, Oct 31 — Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew capped a series of meetings with top US leaders by calling on President Barack Obama at the White House yesterday.
The meeting at the Oval Office was the first between the two leaders, and lasted for about 45 minutes.
In his introductory remarks, Obama described Lee as “one of the legendary figures of Asia in the 20th and 21st centuries, somebody who helped to trigger the Asian economic miracle”.
The US leader added: “Singapore has been an outstanding friend and ally of the United States for many, many years, and so I am very much looking forward to the opportunity of hearing from the Minister Mentor his views on the evolving situation in Asia, as I prepare for my upcoming trip both to Singapore and to other key nations in the region.’
In about two weeks, Obama will embark on his first major visit to Asia as President, stopping in major cities like Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul.
In Singapore, he will attend the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit as well as the inaugural US-Asean summit.
Lee thanked Obama for the warm welcome, saying: “I’m especially privileged to see you at a time of renewal and change in America, and during a period of transition where the world order is changing.
“I look forward to hearing your views on how you see the world evolving and America’s role in it, which is crucial to the stability and prosperity of East Asia.”
In a speech on Tuesday, Lee said the US must maintain its superiority in the Pacific or risk diminishing its leadership role throughout the world.
He expressed confidence though that the US would remain the sole superpower for the next 20 to 30 years.
China may be fast gaining ground, but for the moment it is neither ready nor willing to take on an equal role in managing the international system, he added.
“The US is still the world’s largest economy and market of last resort,” Lee told a gathering of Washington’s top political and business elites on Tuesday, during which he was conferred a lifetime achievement award for fostering US-Asean ties.
“In the end, whatever the challenges, US core interest requires that it remains the superior power on the Pacific. To give up this position would diminish America’s role throughout the world.”
Earlier in the week, Lee also met top US diplomat Hillary Clinton, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, and director of the White House’s National Economic Council, Lawrence Summers. — Straits Times
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