Cover Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event marking the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). (Photo: Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event marking the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). (Photo: Getty Images)
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US Vice-President Kamala Harris will be staying at the Shangri-La Hotel during the Singapore leg of her seven-day Southeast Asia trip
United States (US) Vice-President Kamala Harris touched down in Singapore this weekend to begin a seven-day trip around Southeast Asia. The trip is expected to strengthen relations and cooperation between the US and key Indo-Pacific partners of the United States that include Singapore and Vietnam.
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Harris’ trip will see her spending time in both countries, where she will be improving the relationships the US has with these cities as well as expanding economic cooperation with them. She will meet government leaders and speak to them about regional security, the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and more.
The Vice-President began her trip by touching down at Paya Lebar Base airport on Air Force Two at about 10.50 am on August 22. She was welcomed by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and was accompanied by about 20 staff and security officers.
After being welcomed, Harris was ushered into a vehicle and taken to the Shangri-La Hotel where she will be staying till she departs for Vietnam on Tuesday afternoon.
Of course, the question on everyone’s mind is what her itinerary will look like as she makes these significant official visits. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about Harris’ Southeast Asia trip.
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Thank you Foreign Minister @VivianBala for welcoming me to Singapore. Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific are critically important to the security and prosperity of the United States. pic.twitter.com/TZjFukDeeA
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) August 22, 2021
Harris will be kicking off her visit to Singapore with a meeting with President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday morning (August 23). She will have a call with President Halimah at the Istana before moving into a meeting and joint press conference with Prime Minister Lee.
While she is there, an orchid will be named in her honour in a ceremony that will be taking place at the Istana.
She will then be visiting Changi Naval Base where she will be seeing the US littoral combat ship USS Tulsa which is currently in port here for a multilateral exercise.
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A warm welcome to Singapore, Vice President Kamala Harris! @vp pic.twitter.com/v1Zp5JYoZY
— Vivian Balakrishnan (@VivianBala) August 22, 2021
On Tuesday, Harris will begin her second day of official engagements in Asia by delivering a speech that will outline the Biden administration’s plans for the region. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she will also participate in a round-table discussion with members of the business community and Gan Kim Yong, our Minister for Trade and Industry.
Members of the public can watch a livestream of her speech here.
Harris will leave for Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday afternoon after she wraps up her official engagements here. This will be the first time a US Vice-President has visited Vietnam.
In Vietnam, Harris will likely be proposing more healthcare and medical tie-ups and suggesting that they open the first regional branch of the US Center for Disease Control in Hanoi.
Though it is known that she is expected to return to the US from Vietnam on Thursday, her exact itinerary in the country has yet to be released.
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Camillia Dass is the digital writer for Tatler Singapore.
