Singapore's new PM takes office
Singapore's Lawrence Wong was sworn in on Wednesday as its fourth premier since independence, promising to lead the wealthy city state his own way after completing a carefully calibrated power transfer aimed at ensuring continuity.
Wong, 51, comes from among a crop of so-called "4G" leaders, a new generation of politicians that were hand-picked by the long-ruling People's Action Party (PAP) to take over the reins of the key Asian trade and financial centre.
He is the first Singaporean premier born after its independence in 1965, what he called a significant milestone that would see the handing of the baton to a new generation.
Wong will retain his position as finance minister and takes charge of a country led for two decades by Lee Hsien Loong, the 72-year-old son of Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore who stayed in politics until his death in 2015.
"We understand the vital importance of good leadership, political stability and long-term planning. We ourselves are the beneficiaries of the imaginative policies of our founding fathers, pursued resolutely and patiently over decades," Wong said in his inauguration speech.
"Our leadership style will differ from that of previous generations. We will lead our own way. We will continue to think boldly and to think far."
The succession has been long coming, with Lee's plans of stepping down before he turned 70 upended by the pandemic, and by a transition fumble when his anointed successor unexpectedly ruled himself out of the running, opens new tab in 2021.
Wong said he was taking over at a challenging time with an uncertain external environment that was in flux, adding Singapore was strong but vulnerable to external influences "that tug us in different directions".
He said Singapore's international standing was high, with a brand that was admired globally, and would strengthen partnerships and continue engaging with the United States and China "even as issues inevitably arise between them".
