Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has hailed the US’s “return to Asia” policy and President Obama’s strong commitment to Asia rebalance during his meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden in Washington DC on June 25.

PM Lee reaffirmed the steady bilateral ties between Singapore and the US and shared his opinions on measures to further boost the relations.

The two sides also discussed ways to strengthen the US relations in the region, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, especially in the context that Asia plays an increasingly important role in the US ’s economic development strategy.

Both Biden and Lee held that together with the US-Singapore free trade deal, the conclusion of the TPP is significant in the US ’s relations with Asia .

They also acknowledged progress in bilateral cooperation in security and law enforcement, while affirming that their plan of training personnel for a third country has benefited US engagement efforts in Asia .

During his stay in Washington , PM Lee also had meetings with some officials of the US Senate Committee on Military Affairs and Foreign Affairs.

Earlier, PM Lee also emphasised the importance of international law in dealing with disputes, including those on the East Sea .

Speaking at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations on June 24, PM Lee said from the point of view of a country which must survive in an international system where there are big countries and small, outcomes cannot be determined just by might is right. International law must have a big weight in how disputes are resolved./.