President Obama and Michelle Obama welcome Singapore’s Prime Minister and his wife to the White House. (Screencap from White House YouTube video)
The President and First Lady held a black-tie dinner on Aug. 2 in honor of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife, Ho Ching.
The occasion also marked the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between the United States and Singapore, an island nation of about 5.7 million people.
The last U.S. state dinner for Singapore occurred in 1985, when then-President Ronald Reagan hosted Lee’s late father, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.