SINGAPORE (CNA) – United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris landed at Paya Lebar Air Base yesterday, kicking off a three-day visit to Singapore.
Harris disembarked from the blue-and-white Air Force Two and gave a short wave.
She was greeted on the tarmac by Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. The receiving party included Singapore’s Ambassador to the US Ashok Mirpuri and Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Chee Wee Kiong.
Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Singapore Rafik Mansour was also at the airport to
welcome Harris.
In a statement yesterday, he said the past 55 years of partnership between the US and Singapore are “just the beginning”.
“Through our defence and security agreements, our first free trade agreement in Asia, and the deep ties between our people, our enduring relationship brings strength and stability to the US, Singapore, and the entire Indo-Pacific region,” he added.
Harris chatted with the delegation from Singapore and was soon ushered into one of two armoured sports utility vehicles belonging to the US Secret Service.
The extensive motorcade, comprising vans, buses and a police motorcycle then rumbled off, making a U-turn around Air Force Two before leaving the air base.
This is Harris’ first official visit to Asia, a trip which also includes Vietnam. The White House said her visit to Southeast Asia signals US commitment to the region and that it is “part of the Indo-Pacific”.
Harris is accompanied on this trip by senior officials from the Vice President’s Office, National Security Council and Department of State.
The trip to Singapore, made at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, comes on the heels of US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s tour of Southeast Asia, during which he made stops in Singapore, Vietnam and Philippines.
