PM Lee meets US President Biden on sidelines of G20 summit
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and US President Joe Biden meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy, Oct 31, 2021. (Photo: MCI)
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met US President Joe Biden on Sunday (Oct 31) on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Rome.
The hour-long bilateral meeting was the first between the two leaders since Mr Biden was elected president, Mr Lee's press secretary said.
During the meeting, both leaders reaffirmed the importance of the US-Singapore Strategic Partnership, the White House said in a readout released to media by the US Embassy in Singapore.
They also reviewed opportunities to "build on the momentum generated" by US Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Singapore in August.
Mr Biden "expressed his desire to deepen cooperation with Singapore in pursuit of our shared interests and a free and open Indo-Pacific, including in upholding freedom of the seas and advancing supply chain resiliency", added the White House.
Mr Lee is on a working visit to Rome from Oct 28 to Nov 1 for the G20Â Summit.
He also met with the leaders of Australia, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the European Commission and the European Council on the sidelines of the summit.
Singapore, although not a G20 member, is an invited guest country of Italy, which holds the G20Â presidency this year.
