Lee Hsien Loong

US VP Harris Vows 'Enduring Engagement' In Asia

United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris vowed "enduring engagement" in Asia on Monday, offering reassurances of Washington's commitment to the region even as the US completes its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover.The hard-line Islamists' swift return to power a week ago, and desperate scenes of thousands trying to flee, have cast a shadow over the US' status as a global superpower.But on a visit to Singapore, her first stop on a trip

24 August 2021
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S’pore PM Warns US Against Hard Line Towards China

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday warned the United States (US) against aggressively challenging China, saying Washington's increasingly hard-line views could be "very dangerous."He said the US had moved from an approach of healthy competition with China to the view that America "must win, one way or another.""There is (US) bipartisan consensus today on one thing, which is relations with China," he told the Aspen Security Forum."But th

4 August 2021
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Singapore PM-In-Waiting Bows Out

A prominent Singapore minister stepped aside on Thursday as the successor to the premier, in a shock move that upended the tightly-controlled country's carefully planned power transfer.Finance minister Heng Swee Keat was in 2018 named to a key post in the ruling party that put him in pole position to take over when Singapore's founding family hands over the premiership. He was expected to replace Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, son of the late founding premier Lee Kuan Yew,

9 April 2021
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Singapore’s PAP Wins Poll But Support Slips

Singapore's long-ruling party retained power Saturday but its support fell sharply, while the opposition made gains, in a general election held under the shadow of a coronavirus outbreak.Voters put on masks and gloves and had to observe social distancing rules during a poll held as the city-state emerges from a lengthy lockdown. The affluent financial hub has seen large virus outbreaks in dormitories housing low-paid foreign workers, but with new infections slowing and authoriti

11 July 2020
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Singapore Goes Early

It’s safe to assume that the People’s Action Party (PAP), will be re-elected for the 14th time in a row when Singaporeans vote on 10 July, but this doesn’t mean the election is unimportant or without interest. Although the government won’t change, the planned prime ministerial succession could be pushed off course, and the composition of the parliamentary opposition is up for grabs.Once an election is called in Singapore, the next big event is Nomination Day, in this case on 30 June.

3 July 2020
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Singapore Extends Virus Curbs As Cases Surge

Singapore on Tuesday (21 April) extended restrictions to fight the coronavirus until early June, the city-state's leader said, as cases surged past 9,000 due to a growing number of infections among migrant workers. The city-state managed to keep its outbreak in check in the early stages due to widespread testing and contact-tracing, but is facing a fast-moving second wave of infections. Health authorities reported 1,111 cases Tuesday taking the total to 9,125, with the

22 April 2020
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Singapore concerned about rising sea levels

Singapore needs at least US$72 billion to build defences against rising sea levels, its leader said Sunday as the low-lying city-state gears up against the impact of climate changePrime Minister Lee Hsien Loong described climate change as "one of the gravest challenges facing humankind" and said the Southeast Asian country is already feeling the impact through a hotter weather and heavier rainstorms.He devoted a large portion of a major policy speech late Sunday – which included ini

19 August 2019
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Singapore has a new opposition party

A new opposition party backed by the estranged brother of Singapore's prime minister was launched Saturday in a fresh challenge to the government as speculation mounts elections could be called soon.The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) – aiming to contest an election due by 2021 but widely expected earlier – is led by Tan Cheng Bock, a medical doctor and former government stalwart who once ran for president and nearly defeated the establishment candidate.The group has received the support

4 August 2019
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Former ruling party members to form opposition

Former members of Singapore’s ruling party are banding together to form a new opposition group as general elections loom, presenting a new challenge to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s government as it prepares for leadership succession.Tan Cheng Bock, who vied to be the president eight years ago, is leading a group of 12 Singaporeans who registered this week to form the Progress Singapore Party, he said in a statement Friday.

19 January 2019
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Singapore set to pick Heng as Lee successor

Singapore is expected to tap Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat as the de facto successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday, kicking off the city-state’s third leadership transition in its 53-year history.Heng, 57, will be named first assistant secretary-general - widely seen as second in command to Lee - when the ruling People’s Action Party announces new office holders on Friday, the Today newspaper in Singapore reported on Thursday, citing unidentified party sources.

23 November 2018
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Onward Singapore!

If the anthem Majulah Singapura (Onward, Singapore) was intended by the nation’s founding fathers as a positive affirmation, it must be working. Singapore celebrates its 53rd birthday today as a vibrant and flourishing city-state.In his National Day address, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singaporeans enjoy a good quality of life, better than many others in the world.

9 August 2018
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