Defence ministers from the 10 ASEAN countries signed the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) Joint Declaration on Sustainable Security on 11 Jul during the 13th ADMM in Bangkok, Thailand.

To maintain stability in the region, countries should not be forced to pick sides in the escalating tensions between the United States (US) and China over trade issues and in the South China Sea.

To ease the escalating tensions between the United States (US) and China, both countries need to have meaningful interactions that deal with the issues.

The US-China bilateral relationship is the "most important in the world today" and how the two countries work to resolve tensions will define the international environment for the next few decades.

Singapore and China leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen defence relations through bilateral engagements and exercises.