Chinese FM in Singapore

SINGAPORE: China´s foreign minister held talks with Singaporean leader Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday during a Southeast Asian tour seen as a pushback against Washington´s efforts to reassert its influence in the region.

In recent weeks, both US Vice President Kamala Harris and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin have visited the city-state and strongly criticised Beijing´s growing aggression in Asia. The trips were part of efforts by the new US administration to reset relations in the region after the turbulent Donald Trump era, and build a bulwark against China´s rising might.

As well as Singapore, Foreign Minister Wang Yi had stops in Vietnam and Cambodia on his trip -- both countries visited by senior US officials in recent months. On Tuesday he held talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee, who said the pair had a "productive and candid discussion on international and regional developments".