Singapore, the top choice for Trump-Kim summit

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Europe

02:50

Just weeks ago, the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un was on the brink of cancellation. Now the much anticipated summit is finally kicking off in Singapore.

Even before the confirmation, there had been speculations that the city-state would be the number-one choice to host the meeting. So it comes as no surprise to many, when the White House made the final announcement that Singapore has been chosen.

“First of all, the country is politically neutral. In other words, the US and DPRK do not see themselves as being threatened if they come to this location for the meeting,” said Associate Professor Lawrence Loh from National University of Singapore Business School.

A view shows the Capella Hotel, the venue for the June 12 summit between Trump and Kim, on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa. /VCG Photo

He added that Singapore has a good track record in hosting major events. As such, “Singapore is somehow moving towards being the Geneva of the East for international meeting.”

Traditionally, high-level defense meetings have been held in the Shangri-la Hotel, such as the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou in 2015.

So it surprises many that this time, the Trump-Kim summit will be held in Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island instead.

The island, which is off Singapore’s southern coast, is a popular destination with beaches, lush greenery, golf courses and luxury bungalows. It is also home to Universal Studios Singapore and Resort World Sentosa.

A view shows the Capella Hotel, the venue for the June 12 summit between Trump and Kim, on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa. /VCG Photo‍

In preparation for the summit, the US and DPRK delegations have earlier met at Capella Hotel to work out logistics issues.

Graham Ong-Webb, research fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University, thought that the five-star hotel, in addition to being private and secure, has the right aesthetic.

On top of this, he told CGTN that the hotel was likely chosen because of its symbolic values.

“The building of Capella Hotel used to be a colonial premise, so it shows that we have some Western heritage, and tells the world that Singapore is at the cross-road of East and West. So in that respect, when Kim comes from Asia and Trump from the Western part of the world, it is about two people meeting halfway round the world and on a neutral ground.”

With less than a week to go, Singapore is getting itself ready for this high-profile summit and the small city- state is certainly going to be remembered as a part of this important moment in history.

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