French President Macron and Singapore PM Lawrence Wong visit Lau Pa Sat hawker centre, try local fare
SINGAPORE: French President Emmanuel Macron and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong jostled with dinner crowds at Lau Pau Sat on Thursday (May 29), the first of Mr Macron's two-day state visit to Singapore.
The two country leaders arrived at the downtown food centre slightly after 9pm and were joined by their wives, Mrs Brigitte Macron and Ms Loo Tze Lui.
Mr Macron and Mr Wong were swamped with wefie requests every few steps, but patiently took some photos and had brief conversations with some patrons.
Many diners stood on tables and chairs to snap photos and videos of the two leaders. Some live-streamed the occasion, while others were seen video-calling loved ones to show them the scenes.
Despite all the hustle and bustle, the French president managed to try some local dishes.
When the leaders headed to the open-air satay street, some diners cheered 'vive la France', or long live France.
The two left at about 9.45pm.
Mr Macron will attend a welcome ceremony at Parliament House on Friday, and meet Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. A state banquet will take place in honour of Mr Macron and his wife.
Mr Macron will also meet Mr Wong again on Friday, to witness the exchange of several memoranda of understanding that include cooperation in areas such as defence and security, legal matters, artificial intelligence and transport, among others.
While in Singapore, Mr Macron will also deliver the keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's largest forum on security and defence.
The French president will be in Singapore until Friday.
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