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Dr Ng: ASEAN Helps Ensure Regional Security Architecture Remains Open and Inclusive
3 June 2018
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Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen speaking at the fifth plenary session on "Raising the Bar for Regional Security Cooperation" at the 17th Shangri-La Dialogue.
Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen spoke at the fifth plenary of the 17th Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) today, on the topic "Raising the Bar for Regional Security Cooperation", alongside French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly, and United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson.
In his speech, titled "Adapting to the Changing Rules of the Game", Dr Ng highlighted that countries large and small must continue to uphold a rules-based order. He said, "The rules-based order constructed post-World War II - both in trade and security - has not broken down and continues to serve us well. However, it is plainly obvious that local politics and the shift in relative strengths of global or regional powers are in fact changing the rules of the international order previously entrenched… Whatever the merits of arguments, these deviations from global norms challenge the status quo and accepted rules which have hitherto benefitted Asia, and the regions beyond."
Dr Ng also said that the ASEAN-China Code of Conduct on the South China Sea as well as the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise, which will take place later this year are key to ASEAN's efforts to strengthen the regional security architecture in today's changing strategic landscape. He further noted that ASEAN and the ASEAN Defence Minister's Meeting (ADMM)-Plus remain the cornerstone of the regional security architecture in the Asia-Pacific.
As the ASEAN and ADMM Chair this year, Singapore has sought to raise the bar on regional security cooperation through counter-terrorism (CT), confidence-building measures, and building chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) expertise. Dr Ng highlighted that Singapore will host a Track 1.5 CT Symposium in October this year to explore issues ranging from efforts to counter radicalisation and discuss the emergence of new terrorist groups in this region.
Dr Ng hosted a Ministerial Roundtable after speaking at the plenary.
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