Watch: Joint press conference of Singapore PM Lee and US VP Harris

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and US Vice President Kamala Harris held a joint press conference on Monday (Aug 23) after meeting for talks in the morning.

Ms Harris is in Singapore for an official three-day visit, where she is looking to deepen bilateral cooperation in multiple areas.

During the press conference, Mr Lee announced that Singapore would offer its air force's multi-role tanker transport aircraft to help the US in the evacuation of refugees from Afghanistan, highlighting the several decades of cooperation between the two countries on air defence.  

Mr Lee spoke about new areas of partnership, namely cybersecurity and climate, that Singapore and the US are embarking on. He also talked about how both countries are pursuing collaboration on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in the areas of genome sequencing and epidemic intelligence.

In her remarks, Ms Harris thanked Mr Lee for his offer of assistance on evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. She also highlighted Washington's "long-standing and enduring relationship" with Singapore.

Mr Harris praised Singapore's approach to handling the pandemic as "commendable" and warned of the vulnerability of supply chains to the effects of such a worldwide outbreak. 

Ms Harris arrived on Sunday morning, marking the start of her first official visit to Asia, which will also include a trip to Vietnam.