2-6-2023 (SINGAPORE) The defence chiefs of the United States and China met with Singapore’s leaders on Friday morning ahead of the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, a significant security conference taking place in the city-state over the weekend.
Acting Prime Minister Lawrence Wong welcomed Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister Li Shangfu at The Treasury. This visit served as General Li’s introductory trip to Singapore since his appointment in March. The meeting took place as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was recuperating from testing positive for Covid-19, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
In a separate event, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin called on Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Shangri-La Hotel, where top defence officials from around the world gathered to discuss pressing security issues over the next three days.
During his visit, General Li engaged in the second Singapore-China Defence Ministers’ Dialogue with Dr Ng on June 1. The two leaders witnessed the signing of an agreement to establish a hotline, aimed at strengthening high-level defence communication.
The meeting between Acting PM Wong and General Li reinforced the longstanding bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and China. Both sides acknowledged the progress made under the 2019 enhanced Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation (ADESC). This agreement, signed in 2008 and strengthened in 2019, emphasizes the scaling-up of bilateral exercises and exchanges between the two defence establishments. The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) stated that global and regional security developments were also discussed during the meeting.
Dr Ng expressed gratitude to the US for its continued support of the Singapore Armed Forces’ training in the United States, which includes hosting Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) training detachments. The RSAF currently maintains three permanent training detachments in the US, with the Peace Carvin II detachment in Arizona recently celebrating its 30th anniversary.
In return, Mr Austin conveyed appreciation for Singapore’s consistent support of the US military presence in the region, including hosting rotational deployments. Both leaders expressed eagerness to deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly through the RSAF’s acquisition and operationalization of F-35B fighter aircraft. Singapore had previously announced its plan to acquire a dozen fifth-generation stealth jets by the end of the decade to replace its aging F-16 fighters.
The discussions between Dr Ng and Mr Austin also touched on geopolitical developments in the Asia-Pacific region, with an agreement on the importance of continued US engagement in the area. The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) emphasized the strong and longstanding bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and the US.
Both General Li and Mr Austin are key speakers at the Shangri-La Dialogue. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver the keynote speech at the conference, which begins on Friday evening. Mr Austin is scheduled to speak on June 3 about US leadership in the Indo-Pacific, while General Li will address China’s new security initiatives during the first session on June 4.
