Singapore seeks stronger economic ties with US

Here's full text of PM Lee's letter to Donald Trump.

Prime Minister Lee has written congratulatory letter to US President-elect Donald Trump.

The full text is as follows:

Dear President-elect Trump,

Please accept my warmest congratulations on your election as the 45th President of the United States of America.

The American people have elected you at a time when the United States is facing many challenges. I offer my best wishes as you lead your country forward and build a better future for the American people.

Singapore and the United States share strategic interests and an excellent, longstanding partnership. We have long supported America’s presence in the region, which has underwritten regional peace and stability for decades, and enabled the Asia-Pacific to grow and prosper.

Our two countries enjoy substantive and multifaceted cooperation across the economic, defence and security fields, underpinned by a Strategic Framework Agreement and an Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement. We are collaborating to tackle emerging threats in cyberspace and to counter terrorism and violent extremism.

On the economic front, the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement has doubled trade between our countries to reach US$64 billion over the last decade. The United States has consistently maintained a trade surplus, which now stands at almost US$20 billion. Investments by Singapore companies in the United States, combined with America’s exports to Singapore, have created some 240,000 jobs for American workers. Your extensive business experience sets you in a unique position to tap into Asia’s growth.

I look forward to working with you and your Administration to further enhance our bilateral partnership and strengthen the United States’ engagement in the Asia-Pacific for years to come.

I wish you every success in your new appointment and hope to welcome you to Singapore at your earliest convenience.

LEE HSIEN LOONG