Singapore, US renew air and naval defence pacts

Renewing ties: Trump and Lee after signing the defence agreement during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. — AFP

NEW YORK/SINGAPORE : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and US President Donald Trump renewed a key defence pact which allows American forces to use Singapore’s air and naval bases, extending it by another 15 years to 2035.

Both leaders lauded the close relationship between Singapore and the United States as they signed an amendment to the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding Regarding United States Use of Facilities in Singapore on Monday, a landmark agreement which underpinned America’s security presence in the region for almost 30 years.