Why was Singapore chosen to host the Trump-Kim summit?

World Today

Why was Singapore chosen to host the Trump-Kim summit?

The date and time have been announced for the highly anticipated Trump-Kim summit: June 12th in Singapore. Now the question on everyone’s mind: why there?

CGTN’s Audrey Siek tells us why the tiny, city-state in southeastern Asia was chosen to host the Trump-Kim Summit.

After days of speculation, the island country of Singapore has come out on top. It beat out other locations like the DMZ, Mongolia, Switzerland and Sweden. Singapore has long been known as a disciplined, safe city where East meets West. But the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong Un will not be the first time it has hosted high-level talks.

Back in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Singapore for his landmark meeting with then Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou. Those historic talks were seen as a success, with high levels of secrecy and tight security all done on short notice.

Singapore has been accustomed to hosting many meetings for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. It’s also been dubbed “Asia’s Switzerland’  for being neutral, and having tight friendships with many countries around the world. It is one of the few countries with a DPRK embassy, while also being a close and trusted partner with the United States.

Adding all that together with its tradition of tight crowd control and a high degree of public order, Pyongyang and Washington won’t have to worry about protests.

It look like the tall order of finding an urban center, with both Western and Asian influences, that celebrates harmony and order, has been filled.

As the world waits to see what the Trump-Kim summit will bring, Singaporeans at home and abroad are watching it even closer, hoping that the tiny red dot on the world map they call home will prove itself to be a giant of diplomacy.