US President Barack Obama meets Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for talks at
the Oval Office. (Photo: Prime Minister's Office)
WASHINGTON: Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned on Tuesday that miscalculations in Asia could set back the fast-growing region for years as US 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 neighbours have intensified.
"We should seek to prevent any miscalculation or mishap which will set the region back for many years," Mr 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. Mr 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," Mr 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. The first, the USS Freedom, is on its way across the Pacific.
"We have extremely close military cooperation," Obama said as he met Mr Lee at the Oval Office, praising the 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 Mr Lee had been especially helpful to him.
Mr Obama said: "Across the board, we have very much appreciated the extraordinary relationship between our two countries. And personally, I can tell you that there are very few world leaders who I am more appreciative of in terms of their advice and counsel and thoughtful analysis than Prime Minister Lee.
"And as we continue the process that we called rebalancing when I first came into office, we've continued to seek out the advice and good counsel of Singapore in how to effect that in a way that creates not only strong security, but also increase prosperity for both the United States and the countries of the region."
Mr Lee last visited the White House about six years ago, and this is his first trip under the Obama administration. The White House has earlier said that the visit underscores the strategic importance that the US places on Asia.
Singapore is very happy that the US has been placing greater emphasis on its relations with Asia, and Singapore would like to be of help in the process of deepening the relationship, said Mr Lee.
Mr Lee added: "And there are other important bilateral relationships in Asia, including what is perhaps the most important bilateral relationship in the world, which is between the US and China.
"And we are happy that the administration's attention is focused on this, and Singapore will do our part to do what we can to help America engage the region constructively, productively, and in a way in which it fosters stability and prosperity for all the countries."
The meeting also focused on regional security challenges as well as trade, with Singapore and the United States key players in the evolving Trans-Pacific Partnership pact.
Mr Obama also praised Singapore as an outstanding economic partner. He said trade between US and Singapore has doubled over the last decade since the two countries signed their free trade agreement.
The two leaders pledged to build up ASEAN connectivity through stronger regional and extra-regional cooperation and private-public partnerships.
They agreed to launch signature programmes on Trade Facilitation and Leadership and Governance under the US-Singapore Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) to help close development gaps in the region.
Mr Lee also met World Bank president Jim Yong Kim on Tuesday, where they discussed the bank's development priorities in Asia, and Singapore's role in supporting the efforts, including through the World Bank Group-Singapore Hub.
Mr Lee also met Vice President Joe Biden. Apart from reaffirming the depth of the bilateral relationship, they exchanged views on the developments in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. Mr Lee also invited Mr Biden to visit Singapore in the near future.
In his address to the US Chamber of Commerce and US-ASEAN Business Council, Mr Lee called on the US 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," Mr Lee said.
Mr Lee called Southeast Asia "a huge market" for the United States, saying that the world's largest economy enjoyed advantages thanks to its creative innovation.
He welcomed Japan's decision to enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks, which will offer a major boost in the size of the potential pact.
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