US President Barack Obama will host Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to a state dinner at the White House in August – a rare diplomatic honour that marks the strength of ties between the two countries.

Singapore will be only the fifth Asian country to have a leader honoured with a state dinner during the Obama administration and the only one from South-east Asia.

The others are China, India, Japan and South Korea.

The White House and PM Lee said the visit was a testament to how far ties have grown during the tenure of President Obama.

… Dr Joseph Liow, the Lee Kuan Yew chair at the Brookings Institution, said the rarity of state dinners under President Obama adds to the significance of the event.

“Obama has hosted probably around a dozen over the course of his two terms – not a particularly high number compared to some of his predecessors,” he said.