Speeches

An Overview of President Bush's Visit to Singapore

October 22, 2003

Let me give you a brief overview of the President's visit. This was the sixth time the President has met with Prime Minister Goh. It was also the first Presidential visit to Singapore since 1992. The discussions were warm and friendly. The President holds the Prime Minister in high regard, both for his leadership in Singapore and for his insight on the region.

The President and the First Lady began the visit by greeting U.S. Embassy and military personnel working in Singapore. The President and the First Lady then paid a call on President and Mrs. Nathan. Then the President and his party met with the Prime Minister and senior Singapore officials. This was followed by a working dinner hosted by the Prime Minister. The First Lady visited the National Orchid Garden, and was graciously hosted to dinner by Mrs. Goh. The President, Mrs. Bush, and the official party departed Singapore early this morning.

The President’s visit to Singapore was an affirmation of the strong ties and close partnership between the United States and Singapore. There were three main themes to the discussions: security and counter-terrorism, trade and economic issues, and health security.

On security and counter-terrorism, President Bush thanked Prime Minister Goh for the constructive role Singapore played in support for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441, its support for Iraqi reconstruction, and the security measures it has taken at home. The two leaders announced the start of negotiations of a Framework Agreement dealing with defense and security issues.

On trade and economic issues, President Bush thanked the Prime Minister for his support of the US-Singapore FTA and noted that the US-Australia FTA negotiations and the just-announced US-Thailand FTA negotiations demonstrate the U.S. commitment to move ahead with trade liberalization. The President stated he looked forward to the US-Singapore FTA taking effect in January.

On health security, the President and Prime Minister Goh announced an initiative to fight against SARS and other infectious diseases, as well as other threats to health security, such as bioterrorism. This initiative will be called the Regional Emerging Diseases Intervention Center, or REDI Center. Building on the APEC discussions, the REDI Center will help both countries extend the perimeter of defense against emerging infectious diseases, by providing a catalyst for expanded research efforts and training programs for public health officials, researchers, clinicians and others in the region. Located at the Biopolis, we aim for the center to open within the next six months. Although the REDI Center is initially a bilateral initiative, it is our mutual intent that the door will be open to participation of other economies in this region.

The Center will be coordinating a number of activities for immediate implementation. First, several actions will be taken to expand the existing network of sentinel influenza physicians in Singapore, as an early warning system, and to establish an information network for early detection, characterization and response, integrated with US CDC and NIH efforts and the existing global network coordinated by the WHO. Second, the two governments are consulting on proposals for a collaborative research effort between the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Singapore in the development of a SARS vaccine. Third, we have identified possible joint projects in other infectious diseases, including Dengue and West Nile Virus.

As for training, our goal is to provide initially at least two certificate courses per quarter. The emphasis will be on training in field epidemiology, clinical research, regulatory frameworks for product approval, health security, and enhanced laboratory techniques and safety standards, and the focus will be on those from developing countries in Asia.