“We cannot condone a country that argues that another country’s independence is the result of historical mistakes and crazy decisions,” Premier Lee said at the White House on March 29.
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Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday to discuss Indo-Pacific security, the war in Ukraine and investments between the countries.
Lee began a week-long working visit to the United States on Saturday.
What follows are remarks from Biden and Lee’s joint press conference that followed their meeting around 1:30 p.m. local time, as transcribed by the White House Press Office.
President Biden
Welcome back to the White House. I am honored to welcome Prime Minister Lee to the White House today. And I’m proud – and I mean it honestly – I’m really proud of the partnership that’s going on – between Singapore and the United States. It’s as close and as strong as ever.
And together we work to uphold a rules-based order – international order, to uphold the founding principles of the United Nations, and to advance a future for the Indo-Pacific that is both free and open.
As we look to the future, Prime Minister Lee and I share a shared commitment to ASEAN as – and its centrality to – everything we do. And I look forward to welcoming ASEAN leaders to a special summit here in Washington, DC this spring.
We also discussed a wide range of concerns about peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. This includes ensuring that all nations in the region, including China, uphold the principles that make a free and open region possible.
Singapore and the United States agree to send the message to all nations – to all nations, regardless of their size or population: They are equal in the law – in their rights on the global stage.
Joe Biden
President, United States
Both Singapore and the United States are committed to freedom of navigation and the unhindered flow of maritime trade in the South China Sea.
We shared our concerns about the DPRK and its destabilizing ballistic missile launches, and strongly opposed Security Council resolutions – which clearly violate several UN Council resolutions.
And we both call on North Korea to refrain from further provocation and to return to the negotiating table for serious and sustained diplomacy.
We are both deeply concerned by the continuing suffering and violence in Burma following last year’s military coup – the coup that created a humanitarian crisis and undid a decade of democratic and economic progress for the Burmese people.
Singapore and the United States agree that the military regime urgently needs to implement the ASEAN five-point consensus and return Burma to the path of democratic transition.
And we also talked about the war in Ukraine. Last week in Europe, the world saw the strong unity for a united response and determination of the NATO alliance, the G7 and the European Union to respond to Putin’s brutal and unjustified attack on Ukraine.
Today, with the Prime Minister’s visit and Singapore’s strong leadership on the issue, it is clear that Putin’s war is unacceptable to nations in all regions of the world – not just in Europe, but in all regions of the world. It is an attack on the core international principles that underpin peace, security and prosperity everywhere, including in the Indo-Pacific.
Today, Singapore and the United States are united in sending the message to all nations – to all nations, regardless of size or population: They have the same right – to their rights on the global stage. They have the right to sovereignty and territorial integrity and to determine their future free from violence and intimidation.
Prime Minister, our nations work closely together on security and counter-terrorism; we have for some time. And we have deep trade and economic ties. We’ve also developed deep personal bonds, I have to admit.
And I – we will continue to deepen our partnership and seize the opportunities to face the current challenges and overcome them together: fighting Covid-19, making sure we are prepared for the next pandemic; increase our climate ambition and work on decarbonising the shipping sector; Cooperation in everything from cybersecurity to space exploration; Promoting broad-based economic growth throughout the Indo-Pacific, including working together to develop an Indo-Pacific economic framework that fosters lasting prosperity across the region.
So we have a big agenda, Prime Minister – a major agenda, a shared vision that we are pursuing together: a free and open Indo-Pacific, a connected, prosperous and more secure Indo-Pacific and more resilient. And I believe the US-Singapore partnership is essential to making that future a reality.
Thank you again Prime Minister Lee. I always appreciate consulting with you. And as I told you before, both you and Singapore are batting well above your weight – well above your weight. And I appreciate the time we have together and look forward to many more encounters.
The floor is yours.
Prime Minister Lee
Thank you President Biden. Thank you for these warm words.
President Biden, ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank the President for the warm welcome I and my delegation received.
We last met in Rome on the sidelines of the G20 summit, but a lot has changed in these few months. The current international uncertainties and crises underscore the need for countries to work with close friends and partners. And Singapore deeply appreciates America’s commitment to engaging Southeast Asia and Singapore in particular, despite the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
We had a very good conversation with President Biden this morning. We reaffirmed the long-standing and diverse Singapore-US partnership and our shared commitment to a stable, rules-based world order.
Singapore is the second largest Asian investor in the US and the US is the largest investor in Singapore.
Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister, Singapore
The US has played an important and constructive role in the Asia-Pacific region for over 80 years. And Singapore, through our words and actions, has consistently supported a strong US presence in the region.
We have considerable bilateral cooperation on economic, defense and security issues, and also strong people-to-people ties.
Singapore is the second largest Asian investor in the US and the US is the largest investor in Singapore. Singapore’s investments in the US and US exports to Singapore support over a quarter million American jobs.
On the defense front, Singapore is a major partner in US security cooperation – in fact, the only country with that status.
For more than 30 years, we have had a Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation, signed in 1990 and recently renewed in 2019, giving the US military access to Singapore’s air and naval bases.
We are also expanding our collaboration into new areas including cybersecurity, digital economy, sustainable development and even space.
Singapore deeply appreciates President Biden’s leadership in strengthening US engagement in the region. We welcome his intention to host a special ASEAN-US summit here soon. It is a strong endorsement of America’s commitment to Southeast Asia and ASEAN centrality.
The President and I discussed the importance of expanding US strategic and economic interests in the Asia-Pacific region. It is important to advance a positive economic agenda that is open, inclusive, timely and flexible.
We cannot condone any country arguing that another country’s independence is the result of historical mistakes and crazy choices.
Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister, Singapore
We therefore welcome America’s proposed Indo-Pacific economic framework, which will strengthen America’s engagement in the evolving regional economic architecture.
I spoke to the President about his recent visit to Europe and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Singapore is a staunch supporter of international law and the UN Charter, which prohibits acts of aggression against a sovereign state. And that is why we strongly condemned Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
The sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of all countries, large and small, must be respected. The unprovoked military invasion of a sovereign country under any pretext is unacceptable.
We cannot condone any country arguing that another country’s independence is the result of historical mistakes and crazy choices.
I have communicated to President Biden the measures Singapore has taken to limit Russia’s ability to wage war on Ukraine. Our actions are based on principles fundamental to our survival and existence as an independent, sovereign nation.
We have upheld these principles and voted in accordance with them at the United Nations in successive crises involving different countries over many decades.
The war in Ukraine is affecting the Asia-Pacific region. In our region, too, there are potential hot spots and contentious issues that, if not managed well, could escalate into open conflict.
Countries with interests in the region must make every effort to resolve differences through peaceful means so that we can avoid reaching a point of no return.
It is therefore important to keep the dialogue between countries open, including at the highest level. This will help steer developments to avoid conflict and prevent misinterpreting each other’s intentions.
We must also create inclusive constructs to bridge differences and promote cooperation and interdependence in Asia-Pacific – for example the APEC Leaders’ Meeting and the proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
The US has enduring strategic interests in Asia Pacific and many friends in the region who want you to remain active and consistently engaged. And I am confident that Singapore’s own relationship with the US will continue to strengthen in this regional context.
Thank you very much.