Singapore defends Taylor Swift tour stop ‘deal,’ as PM Albanese stays out of stoush
Taylor Swift’s touring schedule has sparked a political stoush among southeast Asian leaders gathered in Australia, after Singapore was accused of paying a “bribe” for exclusive shows.
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Taylor Swift’s touring schedule has sparked a political stoush among southeast Asian leaders gathered in Australia for economic and security talks, after Singapore was accused of paying a “bribe” for six exclusive shows.
Standing next to Anthony Albanese in Melbourne on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was forced defend his decision to pay a grant, believed to be worth as much as US$3 million, for the singing superstar to make his country the only stop in the region of her Eras tour.
“A deal was reached and so it has turned out to be a very successful arrangement,” Mr Lee said.
“If that is what is needed to be done to get an outcome which is mutually beneficial from Singapore’s point of view, serves not just to grow the economy but also to ring in visitors and goodwill from all over the region, I don’t see why not.”
But politicians in Thailand and the Philippines have fired up over the alleged payment, with several describing it as a “bribe”.
Asked to weigh in on the dispute, Mr Albanese, who attended one of Swift’s Sydney shows, said the Bad Blood singer had been “welcome here in Australia”. “
“Where she plays is a matter for her and a matter for other nations,” he said.
During a one-on-one meeting on Tuesday, Mr Lee and Mr Albanese discussed upgrading their maritime co-operation, innovation grants for Australian and Singaporean companies, and resilient supply chains.
Tensions in the South China Sea where Beijing is increasingly making territorial claims have dominated the summit, with Mr Lee saying a common position among leaders was to negotiate a code of conduct with China, noting this would “take sone time”.
Mr Albanese later said ASEAN nations all wanted a “peaceful, secure region, because they understand that that’s the key to prosperity”.
“ASEAN nations have a lot in common when it comes to these approaches,” he said.
Mr Albanese also rejected criticism by former Labor prime minister Paul Keating that ASIO had undermined the government’s efforts to stabilise relations with China by revealing a foreign “A Team” of spies was trying to recruit politicians, academics and business leaders.
In a fiery statement Mr Keating also accused the government of being at odds with ASEAN leaders on China, pointing to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s request his country be kept out of the power struggle between Beijing and the US.
Asked if the government was sending “mixed messages” to China, Mr Albanese said: “no”.
“When it comes to (Australia’s) relationship with China … we’ll co-operate where we can, disagree where we must, but we will engage in our national interest,” he said.
ASEAN leaders, including from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam were due to attend an official dinner at the National Gallery of Victoria on Tuesday night, with a performance by Australian pop singer Jessica Mauboy.
The summit concludes on Wednesday following a leaders retreat at Government House in Melbourne.
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