US President to host Singapore PM at White House

pulse

October 10, 2017 4:36 PM

Singapore has long positioned itself as a go-between helping bridge differences between the United States and China.

US President Donald Trump will host Singapores prime minister in Washington later this month, the White House said Tuesday, with North Korea likely topping the agenda.

In a statement announcing the October 23 White House visit, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: "President Trump looks forward to reaffirming the relationship between the United States and Singapore, which has been one of America's closest partners in Asia for more than 50 years."

But Trump's head-on approach with Beijing and his moves to jettison a trans-Pacific trade deal that included Singapore has cast the relationship into doubt.

Trump has also taken a harder line on partners' dealings with the regime in North Korea.

That could have an outsized impact on Singapore, which is a major banking hub for the Asia-Pacific region.

"The president and prime minister will discuss ways to further strengthen our economic, political, security and people-to-people ties, and work to advance United States engagement and mutual interests throughout the Indo-Pacific region," Sanders said.

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