Address by Singapore Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the ASEAN-China Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting in Beijing, China

Esteemed colleagues,

First, let me echo what my dear friend and Malaysian Minister for Defence Hishammuddin has said in thanking General (GEN) Chang Wanquan for inviting us to Beijing for this informal dialogue. Thank you very much for last night's sumptuous dinner and wonderful performances - it showed how much talent China has. Hope that at some point we can exchange these performances within militaries. I think it will be a very good people-to-people initiative. So thank you for your warm welcome and generous hospitality.

This year marks 25 years of ASEAN-China relations. Since then, China's strategic weight and influence in this region and globally have grown tremendously. China is now ASEAN's largest trading partner and has been so since 2009. China has a modern military with defence spending at the second highest globally. Today, the world looks to China to play a leadership role in international affairs, as it should.

In President Xi's address to the United Nations General Assembly last month on 28 September, he called on states big and small to work together to build a security architecture marked by "fairness, justice, joint contribution and shared benefits". Today, GEN Chang has proposed a number of initiatives which will further enhance and deepen our defence cooperation, build trust and in his words, "a common destiny". Singapore fully supports these two statements. These enlightened approaches are shared by Singapore and all ASEAN members here, because China can and must play a leading role in strengthening strategic trust in this region.

As coordinator of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, Singapore will do its part to facilitate this trust that we have with each other so that our region can enjoy continued economic prosperity and peace. 

This includes facilitating the expeditious conclusion of the Code of Conduct which our respective Government leaders have agreed on as the most important deliverable to reduce tensions arising from disputes in the South China Sea. In the meantime, we here in the defence establishments should undertake practical measures and practical cooperation to defuse tensions at sea and build confidence, so that we can reduce the risks of miscalculations and mistakes. Important protocols and practices as GEN Chang mentioned such as the adoption of Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, or CUES, which China promoted at the 14th Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao in Apr 2014, should be adhered to.

Let me on behalf of my ASEAN Defence Ministers, also thank China for its participation in ADMM (ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting)-Plus. China has engaged in strategic dialogue on important issues, such as terrorism and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). China has also undertaken practical cooperation with ADMM-Plus countries and this not only builds interoperability between militaries, but also fosters mutual understanding and trust.

China co-chaired the first cycle of the Experts' Working Group on HADR with Vietnam, and played a vital role in the ADMM-Plus HADR and Military Medicine Exercise hosted by Brunei in 2013.

Singapore, Australia, Brunei and New Zealand will co-organise the ADMM-Plus Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise in May next year. Singapore thanks China for its contributions of naval assets and Special Forces personnel which will add professional value to the Exercise.

My dear colleagues, ASEAN and China can play complementary and synergistic roles to build a stable and inclusive regional security architecture in Asia, and one that reaches the goals and standards articulated by President Xi in his United Nations speech. Today, we support the proposals of enhancing defence cooperation between ASEAN and China, as fleshed out by GEN Chang.

Singapore fully supports those initiatives he mentioned. Let us continue to take positive steps towards strengthening the regional security architecture so that our nations can continue to enjoy peace.

Thank you very much.

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Minister for Defence Encourages Stronger ASEAN-China Strategic Engagement at ASEAN-China Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting