ASEAN Defence Ministers Reaffirm Commitment to Regional Peace and Adopt New Cooperation Initiatives at 19th ADMM

Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing together with the ASEAN Defence Ministers at the 19th ADMM in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mr Chan (left) received by Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin (right).

Mr Chan (left) met China Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun (right) at the ASEAN-China Defence Ministers’ Luncheon.

Mr Chan (right) met Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting.

Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing attended the 19^th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today. 

At the Meeting, the Ministers adopted the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration of the ADMM on ASEAN Unity for Security and Prosperity, which reaffirms the ADMM’s shared commitment to strengthening regional defence cooperation and resilience. The Ministers also adopted the Joint Statement on the Implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Strategic Plan of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which underscores the defence sector’s role in advancing ASEAN’s long-term vision and enhancing practical cooperation under ASEAN-led platforms. 

The Ministers further adopted a range of other initiatives aimed at ensuring the ADMM and ADMM-Plus remain relevant and forward-looking, in line with the Strategy Paper approved by the 18^th ADMM. These included the Concept Paper on Critical Underwater Infrastructure (CUI) Security from a Defence Perspective, co-sponsored by Brunei, Singapore and Thailand, which outlines guiding principles for defence cooperation in this emerging domain and encourages future regional collaboration to enhance awareness and protection of CUI. The Ministers also adopted the 3^rd Additional Protocol to the Concept Papers on the Establishment of the ADMM and ADMM-Plus, co-sponsored by Brunei and Singapore, which serves as a guide to implement the Enhanced Observership Programme under the ADMM-Plus EWGs and the refresh of the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Groups.

Following the 19^th ADMM, Mr Chan attended the ASEAN-China Defence Ministers’ Luncheon and the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting. At the ASEAN-China Defence Ministers’ Luncheon, Mr Chan said that “how we overcome our challenges together will define our future and set an example for the rest of the world on how we can inspire confidence in managing and resolving any potential conflicts that might happen”. He was also glad to see China’s participation in Confidence-Building Measures and capacity-building programmes and exercises with ASEAN, including the 2nd ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise in 2027.

At the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting, Mr Chan welcomed continued policy dialogues and exercises between ASEAN and India to address emerging challenges such as critical underwater infrastructure security. He said that “India has the capability and capacity to contribute to the region, and that it is important to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, including creating more opportunities for younger officers and officials to grow up together”.

Mr Chan also had bilateral engagements with his counterparts from ASEAN Member States, China and India today.

Mr Chan will attend the 12^th ADMM-Plus tomorrow. The ADMM will be joined by Defence Ministers and their representatives from the eight Plus countries, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.