Singapore's prime minister warned that miscalculations
in Asia could set back the fast-growing region for years as
President Barack Obama hailed the city-state for military
cooperation.
On a visit to Washington, Lee Hsien Loong said that the United
States had "fundamental interests" in freedom of navigation and
stability in a region where China's disputes with neighbors have
intensified.
"We should seek to prevent any miscalculation or mishap which
will set the region back for many years," Lee told a dinner of
business leaders after talks at the White House with Obama.
Singapore, while a longstanding US partner, has pursued friendly
relations with China. Lee said he believed there was "enough common
ground" for the two Pacific powers to accommodate each other's
interests.
"The US, as the incumbent superpower who will remain dominant
for decades to come, naturally has interests to protect," he
said.
China nonetheless "wants its rightful place in the sun" and will
be "wary of any perceived attempt to conscribe its freedom of
action," Lee said.
Relations have worsened between China and Japan over islands in
the East China Sea, while Vietnam and the Philippines have led
Southeast Asian criticism over Beijing's alleged heavy-handedness
in South China Sea disputes.
Tensions in Asia have soared in recent weeks due to a crisis
with North Korea, which tested a nuclear bomb in February and has
threatened to attack the United States over what it calls
hostility.
Singapore has given the green light for the temporary deployment
of four littoral combat ships, which are meant to project US power
in shallow coastal waters. The first, the USS Freedom, is on its
way across the Pacific.
"We have extremely close military cooperation," Obama said as he
met with Lee at the Oval Office, praising the capitalist Southeast
Asian state as "one of the most successful countries in the
world."
"I want to thank Singapore for all the facilities that they
provide that allow us to maintain our effective Pacific presence,"
Obama said.
Singapore has traditionally been a key source of advice and
interpretation of events in Asia, particularly in China, for US
administrations, and Obama said that Lee had been especially
helpful to him.
"Personally, there are very few world leaders who I am more
appreciative of in terms of their advice, counsel and thoughtful
analysis than Prime Minister Lee," Obama said.
The meeting focused on regional security challenges as well as
trade, with Singapore and the United States key players in the
evolving Trans-Pacific Partnership pact.
Lee, in an address to the US Chamber of Commerce and US-ASEAN
Business Council, called on the United States to pursue a "more
active trade agenda" despite the political pitfalls for Obama at
home.
"In Asia, trade is strategy. A more active trade agenda will
benefit the US economically and strategically," Lee said.
The Singaporean prime minister called Southeast Asia "a huge
market" for the United States, saying that the world's largest
economy enjoyed advantages thanks to its creative innovation.
Lee welcomed Japan's decision to enter the Trans-Pacific
Partnership talks, which will offer a major boost in the size of
the potential pact even if its presence may complicate
negotiations.
Source:
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/obama-heaps-praise-singapore-190159329.html
In this photo President Obama look at PM Lee like " you better
say 'yes' if not..."
Then PM Lee ..."yeh yeh yeh ...hehehehe"
In this one . Obama: "When is he gonna finish tokin...so sleepy,
later still have to attend another press conference" zzzzzz
