Visiting Cameron pays tribute to late Mr Lee

SINGAPORE — A packed programme awaited British Prime Minister David Cameron as he began his two-day official visit to Singapore yesterday.

In the afternoon, he gave a lecture organised by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, in which Mr Cameron paid a tribute to Singapore’s founding Prime Minister.

Mr Cameron said Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s “characteristic energy, determination and vision” took Singapore from independence 50 years ago and made it “one of the greatest success stories of the modern world”.

In his lecture, Mr Cameron noted that Singapore and Britain share a “special friendship” beyond a commitment to better trade and investment, and based on a shared history and outlook on the world.

His speech largely focused on rooting out corruption, and Mr Cameron again cited the late Mr Lee’s commitment to tackling corruption, which helped give people confidence to invest in Singapore.

The British leader yesterday also visited the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where an orchid, Papilionanda David Cameron, was named in his honour, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a press statement.

Later in the evening, he met top business leaders from Singapore and the United Kingdom at a reception organised by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to promote business links between the two countries.

Mr Cameron and Singapore’s Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Grace Fu, also witnessed the signing of two Statements of Intent (SOIs) between the UKTI and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) with private sector co-signatories, Lloyd’s and Aviva, to support the development of regional insurance markets.

Following Lloyd’s and Aviva, other interested parties are invited to join as co-signatories of these SOIs, the MFA said.

Today, Mr Cameron will receive an official welcome at the Istana, followed by a call on President Tony Tan Keng Yam and a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The two Prime Ministers will also witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cyber Security Cooperation between the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance (Cabinet Office) of the United Kingdom.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.