Indonesian President Joko Widodo wasn’t the only head of state making a splash in the city during the ongoings of the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. In his first visit to Singapore in his current capacity, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made sure to meet as many people as he could and participate in many things possible while in town.
Say what you will about the 46-year-old’s perturbing hypocrisy in environmental matters (here, here, and here), but you gotta admit that the boybandiest leader in the world is really, really charming. Dude certainly knows how to be likable, and he’s been on a busy spree of endearing appearances ever since he landed on our shores on Wednesday. We track his Singaporean sojourn, before he departs the country later today.
Nov 14
Meeting with Canadian business leaders in a closed-door chat with members of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Canada-ASEAN Business Council.
One-on-one business meetings with Chia Song Hwee, president of state-owned investment company Temasek Holdings, as well as ST Engineering Chief Executive Vincent Chong.
Nov 15
A meeting with execs from Temasek Holdings — this time to discuss technology.
Day 2 in Singapore – right down to business meeting with @Temasek, focused on Canada’s leadership in AI, taking advantage of the digital economy & how best to harness smart city technology. pic.twitter.com/7IJrrtSgci
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 14, 2018
Weirdly enough, a meeting with Min-Liang Tan, the Singaporean CEO of gaming hardware giant Razer. After discussing esports and financial technology, Tan gifted the Canadian PM with some sweet swag.
Been an absolute blast chatting with @JustinTrudeau – excited to know there’s a lot more to do for the youth, in growing esports and to move FinTech innovation in Canada. Hope you’ve enjoyed your time in Singapore and our gift from Razer! pic.twitter.com/H5YaXyvIVC
— Min-Liang Tan (@minliangtan) November 15, 2018
Attended the annual China-Canada dialogue to discuss relations, human rights, and environmental issues.
Very good to speak with Premier Li again as part of our annual China-Canada dialogue. We had a productive & frank discussion on expanding ties, creating good jobs for people in both our countries, human rights, climate change & reducing plastic pollution: https://t.co/3Lwk274XSb pic.twitter.com/aW0feiERbP
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 14, 2018
Even had time to speak for a bit at the Singapore Fintech Festival.
Attending a ceremony with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, where they witnessed the signing a two-year memorandum of understanding on cybersecurity cooperation, promising to trade information to counter digital threats.
He even dropped by a special dialogue session at the National University of Singapore, discussing “Canada and Asia in a changing world”. Moderated by BBC World News presenter Sharanjit Leyl, Trudeau spoke on a variety of topics, including the rise of nationalist populism, social media and the internet, and political apathy.
Calling on President Halimah Yacob at the Istana. Oh, she’s definitely happier meeting him than meeting Vladimir Putin.
Visited Fort Canning Park to pay his respects to his ancestors. FYI: His great great great great great grandfather is none other than Major General William Farquhar, the first British Resident and Commandant of colonial Singapore. In other words, Trudeau’s ancestor is the true founder of Singapore, because Stamford Raffles was pretty much a reckless twat and the country would never have survived without Farquhar. He’s seen here taking a selfie with the plaque of his great great great great grandmother Esther Bernard, Farquhar’s daughter.
“It was a very touching moment to see the history of my family, to appreciate all the crisscrossing, weaving links that make up each of our stories, and it’s a nice moment for me to reflect on the connections and the paths that led to Canada from the founding of Singapore,” Channel NewsAsia quoted Trudeau.
He even went to check out the ports, meeting up with PSA International’s chief executive Tan Chong Meng and enjoying the harbor front views.
Tech and innovation are driving change in every sector – especially transportation – and we’re working hard as a government to make sure Canada is in the best position to take advantage of that. Thanks to Tan Chong Meng, the CEO of PSA International, for showing us the sights. pic.twitter.com/sFZfniyVEQ
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 15, 2018
Nov 16
A visit to Adam Road Food Centre this morning around 7:45am, where he grabbed some lime juice and some selfies with locals. According to ST, Trudeau’s team picked the hawker center due to its vicinity to his lodgings, the Four Seasons Hotel.
Such wonderful surprise while having breakfast at Adam Road. Thank you @JustinTrudeau. My daugher was on cloud 9. pic.twitter.com/vZNIFaGKIT
— Wan Fareed (@wan_fareed) November 16, 2018
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