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10 Facts About the Joint Press Conference Between US VP Kamala Harris & PM Lee

2021-08-23 , 4:47 pm

The US-SG Joint Press Conference between US Vice-President Kamala Harris and PM Lee occurred earlier today, and it’s one that the entire nation has keep tracked of for ages.

But what’s the main gist of it, and is it worth all the hype in recent weeks?

Without further ado, we break down the most important aspects of the press conference in the good ol’ way:

10-fact style.

10 Facts About US VP Kamala Harris and PM Lee Joint Press Conference

1. Renewal Of Ties

The visit actually comes as Singapore and the US celebrate 55 years of diplomatic relations.

PM Lee has since expressed his appreciation towards the US administration’s efforts.

“It shows that the US has both strategic and economic stakes in Southeast Asia. We value the US renewing ties with its friends and partners here, especially Singapore,” he said.

2. Not The Only Asian Country

Aside from Singapore, Ms Harris will also be visiting Vietnam by this week.

While she’s there, they will also be addressing China’s claims to certain parts of the South China Sea.

Ms Harris’ visitations are believed to be part of the US’ intent to bond with Southeast Asia.

3. Afghanistan

The Afghanistan issue has been on everyone’s mind of late, and it’s inevitable that talks of it would emerge during the press conference.

In the joint news conference, PM Lee stated that Singapore had offered support for evacuations from Afghanistan.

Apparently, Singapore will be offering its A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT) to assist with evacuation efforts.

The move was warmly received by the US VP, who thanked PM Lee for the “very generous offer”.

“We look forward to following up on that discussion,” she said.

4. Priority

Vice President Kamala Harris also revealed that the United States is focusing on evacuating American citizens, Afghan allies and other vulnerable groups.

Harris said: “Right now we are singularly focused on evacuating American citizens, Afghans who worked with us and Afghans who are vulnerable, including women and children.

“We have a responsibility and we feel a deep commitment to making sure that folks who helped us are safe.”

It should be noted that the U.S. currently has a deadline to exit Afghanistan: by 31 August 2021.

The U.S. President has since hoped that they will not have to extend the deadline, in light of evacuation efforts that are underway.

5. New Areas Of Cooperation

During the press conference, it was also announced that both nations will be collaborating in new areas. These include:

Cybersecurity
Climate
Economy
Fighting pandemics

One new initiative is the US-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation, which will serve to tighten bilateral and regional collaboration on trade and investment.

6. US-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation

The initiative is touted to start with four primary pillars:

Digital economy
Energy & Environmental Technologies
Advanced manufacturing
Healthcare

The new initiative will build on the US-Singapore Collaboration Platform MOU, which was signed in 2016 and later renewed in 2018. The MOU is likely to conclude by this year.

7. Other Collaborations

Elsewhere, three cybersecurity agreements have also been concluded on both sides.

Pandemic collaborations entailing the likes of genome sequencing and epidemic intelligence have also occurred.

“This will speed up identification of new Covid-19 variants as well as emerging disease threats, and augment regional preparedness for current and future pandemics,” PM Lee said.

8. Supply Chains

Supply chains are of particular concern to Ms Harris, who stated that the pandemic had revealed the thinness of supply chains.

“Supply chains, without any question, are critical to ensuring that businesses can source the materials they need, get products to market, and enable people to buy these products,” she said.

As such, the U.S. hopes to build up its supply chains with regional partners, one of whom is, of course, Singapore.

“So working together with partners like Singapore on strengthening supply chains is critical in… ensuring Americans can provide for their families,” said Ms Harris.

At the same time, Ms Harris also spoke of the pre-existing relationship between both nations in a positive manner.

“This is a relationship that is based on a shared vision, both in terms of the challenges we face, and also the opportunities that we face…It is about the future in terms of our mutual commitment, curiosity and interest,” she said.

“It is about what we have in terms of shared values for the need for universal norms on the issue of cybersecurity. It is about the interest that we have in being a global partner on the issue of vaccines, for example, and our shared commitment – understanding that when we have the resources, we will share them with the world.

“These are the things that Singapore and the United States have in common. And with that common purpose, and with a similar approach to our responsibility for our own citizens, and our responsibility as global citizens… we will continue to partner in a way that benefits not only Singaporeans and Americans, but the rest of the world.”

9. Kamala Harris Visiting US Ship

After the press conference, Ms Harris will be making her way down to Changi Naval Base and US littoral combat ship USS Tulsa.

The latter site is currently involved in a multilateral exercise.

And tomorrow (24 August 2021), the Vice-President will give a policy speech, before she visits Gardens by the Bay for a round-table discussion.

It should be noted that after Ms Harris was presented with orchids, she had visited President Halimah Yacob, and was involved in a private meeting with PM Lee.

Ms Harris had also exchanged fist bumps with PM Lee upon meeting.

10. Full Press Conference

Do you have more than 30 minutes to spare? If so, you can view full footage of the press conference down below: