Singapore welcomes US vice president Kamala Harris

Singapore — United States Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at Paya Lebar Air Base on Sunday (Aug 22) morning.

She arrived on the US Air Force Two at about 10.50 am on Sunday and was greeted by Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan together with other officials.

Ms Harris, along with the 20 staff members and security officers that accompanied her, complied with Covid-19 measures and wore face masks.

On Monday (Aug 23) morning, she spoke with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana. Both of them inspected the Guard of Honour before entering the building.

She was then presented with orchids that had been named in her honour.

The hybrid flowers were named Papilionanda Kamala Harris and were a symbol of Singapore’s orchid diplomacy. It was gifted to Ms Kamala with an official “birth certificate”.

Both leaders then had a closed-door meeting. Subsequently, they were joined by several ministers and senior US officials for a bigger meeting.

Ms Harris also spoke with President Halimah Yacob. During their meeting, they acknowledged that bilateral relations between Singapore and the United States were still strong. In addition, they spoke about the strong relations that citizens of both countries had with one another.

She also made a stop at the Changi Naval Base where she spoke with civilian and military leaders aboard the Littoral Combat Ship USS Tulsa to strengthen international relationships as well as enhance economic cooperation with two of the United States’ crucial Indo-Pacific partners.

On her Facebook page, Ms Harris uploaded several posts thanking the different leaders she spoke with for their hospitality while emphasizing the importance of good relations between the United States and Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

Following her three-day trip to Singapore, Ms Harris will be headed for Hanoi next before leaving the region on Thursday (Aug 26). She will be the first US Vice President to visit Vietnam. /TISG