Photo: AFP/Mark Cheong
Eurasia
16/04/2024 17:01
Lee, 72, will formally advise the city-state’s president to appoint Wong, who is currently deputy prime minister and finance minister, to succeed him, his office said in a brief statement. Wong, who has the unanimous support of lawmakers in the long-ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), will be sworn in at the national palace later the same day, it said.
Lee has served as prime minister and head of the PAP since August 2004.
Lee announced last November that he would retire this year and has already named Wong as his designated successor. Lee originally planned to step down before turning 70, but those plans were shelved because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“For any country, a leadership transition is a significant moment. Lawrence and the 4G (fourth-generation) team have worked hard to gain the people’s trust, notably during the pandemic,” Lee said in a Facebook post on Monday. “I ask all Singaporeans to give Lawrence and his team your full support, and work with them to create a brighter future for Singapore.”
Lee has said there is no reason to delay the political transition and that passing the baton to Wong before national elections due next year will allow the 51-year-old politician to win his own mandate and take the country forward.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is on an official visit to Peru, where the next Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit will be held. Ahead of the meeting - where Xi will finally meet outgoing US President Joe Biden - the Chinese leader inaugurated a massive port in the Peruvian city of Chancay, which provides a direct route from the Asian superpower across the Pacific Ocean to South America.
On 5 November 2024, the Presidents of France and Kazakhstan, Emmanuel Macron and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting at the Élysée Palace. In addition to discussions on expanding economic and trade relations between the two countries.
There was a modest increase in the world's biggest trade action.