U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) shakes hands with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan during a photo opportunity at the Department of State in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 5, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
WASHINGTON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo on Tuesday met with Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan to discuss trade relations, and U.S. cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the U.S. State Department said.
They also talked about the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the State Department said in a statement.
Pompeo and Balakrishnan reaffirmed the U.S.-Singapore strategic partnership that includes the bilateral Free Trade Agreement, the first U.S. bilateral free trade agreement in Asia, according to the statement.
The two officials discussed collaboration in multilateral forums during Singapore's 2018 chairmanship of the ASEAN, as well as the group's "central role" in the Asia Pacific region.
They also discussed continued bilateral cooperation and multilateral engagement on regional security challenges and counterterrorism.
Pompeo expressed appreciation for Singapore's willingness to host Trump's meeting with Kim.
The meeting is tentatively scheduled for 9:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) on June 12.
White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said earlier on Tuesday that the meeting would take place at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island.
