Singapore’s Trump-Kim summit: the leading venues to play host

Stunning views, ample space and lockdown level security, these Lion City venues are fit for occupation by any self-respecting dictator or reality TV star

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Demonstrators at the IMF and World Bank meeting in Suntec City. The venue could be the meeting place for US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:15pm, 11 May 2018Updated: 5:21pm, 20 Jun 2018

When Singapore won the bid in 2002 to host the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session, the question on most people’s minds was where the tiny country could hold the mega event.

The session would decide the host of the 2012 Olympic Games and was expected to draw world leaders and celebrities on a scale rarely seen in the city at the time.

The organisers decided on Raffles City Convention Centre as a hub, with delegates like Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Hillary Clinton, Mohammad Ali, David Beckham and Ian Thorpe staying in hotels near the downtown site.

Former IOC president Jacques Rogge. Photo: AFP

The session proceeded with nary a hitch, with London eventually chosen for the 2012 Games. Then IOC president Jacques Rogge lauded Singapore for being the “perfect” host.

Fast forward more than a decade later, and Singapore has chalked up a lot more experience holding such global events, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank meetings of 2006 and the landmark summit between mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping and then Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou in 2015.

The city state has also more venue options today, ranging from the glamorous to the bucolic. When US President Donald Trump meets North Korea leader Kim Jong-un on June 12, here are some choice picks from the island: