INTRODUCTION

A very good morning to our distinguished guests in Singapore, and a very good afternoon and good evening to our distinguished guests who are joining us from overseas. Welcome to the 9th Shangri-La Dialogue Sherpa Meeting 2021.

I am honoured to deliver the Keynote Address for this iteration of the Sherpa Meeting. We are conducting the Sherpa Meeting with a hybrid modality for the first time, given the extraordinary circumstances. Our Singapore-based guests are with me here in the Fullerton Hotel, while overseas guests are dialling-in virtually. I trust that we will still be able to have substantive discussions in preparation for the Shangri-La Dialogue later in the year.

As always, the plenary session topics for this year's Sherpa Meeting cover a wide range of current issues. There are planned discussions on COVID-19 and regional security, maritime security and international law, strategic uses of emerging technologies, and evolving modalities of regional defence and security cooperation. These discussions will help to ensure that we can continue to safely navigate the increasingly complex global environment, especially given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Before we venture into the specific issues and plenary sessions, I would like to share some thoughts on the continued relevance of multilateral dialogue and cooperation – particularly, in the face of geopolitical tensions and transnational challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Sherpa Meeting underscores the necessity of continued dialogue and constructive exchanges in fostering strategic trust and mutual understanding. Notwithstanding our differences, we face common security threats that governments and defence establishments can work together to address and overcome. I hope to provide some perspectives and set the context for further discussions among our distinguished guests and panellists.

COVID-19 AND THE IMPACT ON THE MULTILATERAL SYSTEM

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were already seeing increasing pushback against multilateralism. In many societies, a growing number of people saw the multilateral system as the key driver behind the erosion of national sovereignty, economic dislocation, and widening income-gap. Others viewed the system and its accompanying institutions and rules as rigid, archaic, and restrictive. Collectively, these sentiments have led some to conclude that their countries' national interests were best served through unilateral or bilateral means, unencumbered by multilateral structures.

The unexpected onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated these domestic forces, exposing the vulnerabilities and insecurities of each society. Jobs were lost. Food supplies were affected. Medical infrastructures came under stress. Globally, the death toll is staggering. According to the World Health Organisation, COVID-19 has infected close to 100 million people and caused the deaths of over 2 million people.

In the face of such an unprecedented public health crisis, it is not surprising that many countries have turned inwards, focusing on their own immediate domestic needs, closing borders and erecting protectionist barriers. In May last year, the World Trade Organisation documented an increase in COVID-19-related export restrictions. In particular, countries imposed export restrictions on various personal protective equipment (PPE), medicine, and medical equipment. Some countries also imposed restrictions on food exports.

As you know, international travel took a major hit. A significant number of countries implemented travel restrictions since early last year to prevent and minimise the virus from spreading into their local community. Many countries had also imposed strict lockdowns, curfews and movement curbs to minimise community transmission – some facing their second or more waves of infections.

These measures to curb the spread of the pandemic have led to a significant drop in global trade, disrupted supply chain networks, as well as a reduced demand for services. With fewer job opportunities, there has been a worldwide increase in unemployment across all sectors. Given these developments, the World Bank has estimated that there could be 150 million more people in extreme poverty by 2021.

Over the last two decades, the world had already experienced significant public health threats on at least five occasions: the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola, and the avian and swine flus. COVID-19 has surpassed these diseases in terms of scale and in terms of impact. The grim reality is that this pandemic would likely not be the last global health emergency of its kind. We are only as strong as our weakest link, and it is crucial for countries to work together to coordinate responses and enhance global preparedness.

TACKLING COVID-19 AND TRANSBOUNDARY CHALLENGES

Encouragingly, despite the pandemic and global disruptions, countries have found creative means and leveraged technology to sustain interactions and to also share best practices. These range from operational experiences to more technical and medical aspects of dealing with the virus. Scientists from around the world have shared important COVID-19-related data. For example, since the first genome sequence of the COVID-19 virus was published by Chinese researchers in Jan 2020, other scientists have stepped forward and shared thousands of viral genomes from around the world. This sharing of different COVID-19 variants has helped researchers trace the origin of COVID-19 outbreaks within their own countries, and pinpoint instances of community transmission.

The sharing of the genetic data of the virus also aided the swift development of diagnostic tests. This was crucial in the early stage of the pandemic when countries were ramping up their domestic testing capabilities to detect positive COVID-19 cases. Singapore was one of the countries that benefited from this sharing of information. We were able to develop our own test kits and in turn provided some assistance to our friends overseas. Likewise, many countries have stepped-up their assistance. Countries like the US and Australia had provided ventilators and essential supplies to partners. Others such as China had provided masks, medical supplies, essential supply and equipment to other countries.

International cooperation also contributed to the speed at which the COVID-19 vaccines were produced. For vaccine distribution, we have seen the establishment of the COVAX Facility, which aims to obtain and fairly distribute two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. The COVAX Facility has received the support of around 97 self-financing participants, and will be essential in ensuring vaccine access to 92 lower-income countries. Vaccinations will help to save lives, lay the path to global recovery and allow the resumption of international trade and travel, which would continue to be hampered if COVID-19 is allowed to spread uncontrollably.

These examples point us to an important lesson—no country can hope to overcome and tackle this global pandemic alone. The world that we live in today is increasingly interconnected. The global community will not fully recover from the pandemic without coordinated responses to curb its spread, keep critical supply chains open, and rebuild economies. Protectionist and unilateral actions are ultimately short-term solutions that would not be able to address long-term problems. Indeed, in early 2020, Singapore and New Zealand initiated a Joint Ministerial Statement to affirm our shared commitment to maintaining open supply chains during the pandemic. The statement now has a total of 12 signatories, including Brunei, Laos, and Canada.

At the same time, amidst the pandemic, issues that threaten the security of all countries persist. These include cybersecurity, terrorism, piracy, and climate change just to name a few.

I want to briefly touch on two issues.

First, the threat of terrorism remains high and we need to stay vigilant. Last year, there were high-profile terrorist attacks in Europe, in countries such as Austria and France. Furthermore, due to movement restrictions, people are spending more time on the internet, and extremist groups have exploited these opportunities to amplify their reach and export radical ideologies. In Southeast Asia, militant groups have increased their efforts to radicalise and recruit new members through social media and internet forums.

Second, we have also seen increasing incidents of cyber-attacks, targeting both private and public institutions. Cyber-attacks have relatively low barriers to entry and are not constrained by territorial boundaries. We can expect cyber-related threats to increase. At the state and institutional levels, these attacks have revealed vulnerabilities in our digital infrastructure; and at the individual level these attacks have also put at risk sensitive personal information. As states seek to secure their networks, systems and infrastructures, we should keep in mind that no country, big or small, can fully insulate itself from these vulnerabilities without isolating itself from the rest of the world.

WAY AHEAD - FORGING MULTILATERAL DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION

It is not an overstatement to say that multilateral dialogue and cooperation have become even more salient today than before. More specifically, defence establishments have a role to play in strengthening multilateral frameworks to address these common security challenges.

Here are three suggestions to ponder over.

First, our armed forces and defence officials could find ways to exchange best practices and experiences in areas of common interests, such as military medicine and chemical, biological, radiological (CBR) expertise in anticipation of future threats. Regionally, the ADMM/ADMM-Plus provides a useful avenue to establish and support relevant initiatives such as the Network of ASEAN CBR Defence Experts. It is also important to maintain constructive dialogue and build relations through platforms such as the Shangri-La Dialogue and Sherpa Meetings, to strengthen mutual confidence and trust during these challenging times.

Second, defence establishments could explore reciprocal arrangements and develop safe protocols for armed forces to interact, train, and cooperate, to foster trust and operational effectiveness. Even with the challenges of COVID-19, navies from 10 countries were able to safely conduct the last iteration of Exercise RIMPAC in 2020. The exercise was planned virtually and thereafter successfully conducted with an "at-sea-only" construct, which minimised the risk of COVID-19 transmission among participating forces. The Republic of Singapore Navy participated in the exercise and was in charge of directing other ships within its task force for all anti-surface and anti-submarine exercise serials. Additionally, we could promote greater coordination and encourage information sharing on common security threats. To that end, we will continue to support regional counter terrorism efforts such as the ASEAN "Our Eyes Initiative" through information sharing of data and insights.

Third, our armed forces and defence establishments could continue to support efforts to strengthen the international order and enhance practical cooperation. This is especially pertinent to emerging domains such as artificial intelligence and cyber, where the development of norms will promote responsible state behaviour, build confidence and foster international stability. At the same time, countries could work together to keep our air and sea lines open, and guard against piracy to ensure the free movement of goods and supplies. Notably, to enhance maritime security, regional countries have established and remain committed to joint initiatives such as the Malacca Straits Patrol and the Sulu Sea Trilateral Patrol.

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on public health, the global economy, as well as the way in which countries and people interact with one another. We should continue to guard against tendencies to focus on domestic challenges to the detriment of more coordinated global responses, which remain vital to effectively tackle common security threats. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown yet again the importance of cooperation beyond our national borders, presenting numerous opportunities for governments and defence establishments to work together.

Our collective participation at this Sherpa Meeting is testament to our continued commitment to multilateralism.

I wish you a successful and productive conference. Thank you.