SINGAPORE: United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Singapore on Tuesday (Jul 30) for an official visit, his latest stop as part of his 18th trip to the Indo-Pacific region.
His six-country tour of Asia from Jul 25 to Aug 3 also includes Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and Mongolia.
During his two-day visit to Singapore, Mr Blinken will meet Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday.
He will also co-chair the second US-Singapore Critical and Emerging Technology (CET) Dialogue with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo and Dr Balakrishnan.
Mr Sullivan will attend the dialogue virtually, said MFA in a press statement.
The first US-Singapore CET Dialogue was held in Washington in October last year.
Its launch marked the first of several steps the two countries would take to foster collaboration across their business, scientific, and national security communities.
During the second dialogue, both countries will “advance initiatives to strengthen ties between our innovation ecosystems and reduce barriers to collaboration while protecting national security”, said US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller.
“The growing bilateral discussion regarding critical and emerging technologies further underscores the importance of the US-Singapore strategic partnership in facilitating a free, open, connected prosperous, secure and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” he added in a press statement on Jul 22.
“UNWAVERING COMMITMENT” TO REGION
Mr Blinken’s visit to the region, which was scheduled well in advance, comes amid a politically tumultuous period in the US.
Less than two weeks ago, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race.
This came after his disastrous debate performance against Republican nominee Donald Trump in June sparked uncertainty among the Democrats and triggered numerous calls for Mr Biden to end his re-election campaign.
Mr Trump, who will now likely face Vice President Kamala Harris at the November election, survived an assassination attempt a week before Biden’s withdrawal.
US State Department officials said there was no discussion of cancelling or postponing Mr Blinken’s trip after Mr Biden’s withdrawal.
Mr Blinken’s attendance was all the more important to show that the changing political landscape in the US would not affect the trajectory of American foreign policy, at least while Mr Biden is president, they added.
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said the message of the trip would be that America is “all-in on the Indo-Pacific”.
“We do try to reassure allies and partners that there are certain fundamentals, I think, about America’s engagement that are not going to change, that have been consistent,” he told reporters on Jul 22.