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S'pore, UK share 'rich, enduring relationship': Halimah

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Singapore and the United Kingdom enjoy a natural affinity owing to a common history while also sharing a "rich and enduring relationship", President Halimah Yacob said yesterday.

The shared history dates back to 1819, when Sir Stamford Raffles founded a trading port here, setting the stage for the development of modern Singapore, she added. He also planted a global outlook into Singapore's DNA, she said, highlighting the economic and research ties between the two countries.

The UK is Singapore's fifth largest European trading partner and sixth largest investor globally. More than 4,000 British companies are in Singapore, including Rolls-Royce, GlaxoSmithKline and Dyson.

President Halimah was speaking at an official dinner she and her husband, Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee, hosted at the Istana for heir apparent Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

- THE STRAITS TIMES

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