IRIA News

Defense chiefs of the U.S. and China and several other prominent world leaders have gathered in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue 2024, Asia’s top defense summit.

The annual summit is arranged by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an international research institute focused on defense and security issues. The summit organizers expected participation of 45 countries, with 49 Ministerial-level delegates and more than 40 senior defense officials.

The security summit is a critical platform for discussing pressing security challenges and fostering strategic dialogue among the Asia-Pacific nations.

The 2024 edition of Shangri-La Dialogue focuses on enhancing regional security cooperation, addressing emerging threats, and navigating the complex geopolitical landscape. With high-level participation and robust discussions, the event underscores the importance of multilateral engagement in maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Minister for Defence Dr @Ng_Eng_Hen hosted the Ministerial Roundtable, a regular feature held at the sidelines of the Shangri-La dialogue. #SLD24@RichardMarlesMP @JosepBorrellF @kihara_minoru @LKasciunas @giboteodoro @kbmalattiya @zaqym pic.twitter.com/RO0N0aouhB

— Ministry of Defence (@mindefsg) June 1, 2024

Who is attending Shangri-La Dialogue 2024?

The 2024 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore sees a distinguished lineup of global leaders and defense chiefs. Notable attendees include Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Defense Minister Dong Jun represents China, while Defense Ministers Minoru Kihara and Shin Won-sik represent Japan and South Korea.

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, along with EU High Representative Josep Borrell, also joined the summit. New Zealand’s Defense Minister Judith Collins, German Chief of Defense General Carsten Breuer, Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, and Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren round out the list of prominent participants.

The gathering underscores the Dialogue’s importance as a premier forum for addressing critical security issues and fostering international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesia President-Elect and Defence Minister @Prabowo and PM @LawrenceWongST reaffirmed the close bilateral and people-to-people relations between 🇸🇬 and 🇮🇩 at the Istana today. They also exchanged views and noted the excellent progress in bilateral cooperation.

— Ministry of Defence (@mindefsg) June 1, 2024

US focus on Indo-Pacific

One of the most anticipated speeches at the forum was delivered by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He laid out his country’s security-related administrative approach to the region in a world consumed by war in Europe and the Middle East.

Austin extended his gratitude to Singapore for its consistent hospitality, especially recognizing Senior Minister Teo and his friend, Minister Ng. He also congratulated Singapore’s newly elected Prime Minister Wong. Austin expressed pleasure at seeing esteemed colleagues, including Deputy Prime Minister Marles and President-elect Prabowo, and welcomed first-time Defense Ministers such as Minister Kihara, Minister Shin, Minister Collins, and Secretary Teodoro.

Austin assured top security officials at the summit that war with China is neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. Speaking at the forum, Austin emphasized the necessity of renewed dialogue with his Chinese counterpart to prevent “miscalculations and misunderstandings.”

“As long as we’re talking, we’re able to identify those issues that are troublesome and that we want to make sure that we have placed guardrails to ensure there are no misperceptions and no miscalculations, that can spiral out of control,” he said. “You can only do that kind of thing if you are talking.”

The United States can be secure only if Asia is secure.

We have long maintained our presence in the Indo-Pacific for this very reason.

It’s also why we continue to make the investments necessary to meet our commitments to our allies and partners. pic.twitter.com/2KmBuvJccD

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) June 1, 2024

US-China Defense Chiefs Meeting

Austin’s comments about Chian followed a significant meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, marking the first in-person discussion between the top defense officials since 2022. Contacts between the American and Chinese militaries had ceased following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which angered Beijing.

During their over-hour-long meeting, both sides maintained their entrenched positions on Taiwan and the South China Sea. China continues to claim Taiwan as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to assert control. Meanwhile, China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea have resulted in confrontations with other nations in the region, particularly the Philippines. Despite these unresolved issues, Austin stressed the importance of direct military-to-military communication to mitigate risks and ensure regional stability.

During their 75-minute meeting, Austin and Dong emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication between their respective militaries and committed to reactivating the hotline between theater commanders from both sides in the coming months.

Austin reiterated Washington’s concerns about China’s recent two-day military exercise surrounding Taiwan and urged Beijing not to use Taiwan’s political transition, which he described as a routine democratic process, as “a pretext for coercive measures” against the democratic island.

At a news conference after the meeting between the two defense officials, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian spoke to journalists and asserted that the Taiwan issue is strictly an internal matter for China and that external forces “have no right to interfere in the issue.

Austin reiterated during the meeting that the United States will persist in conducting activities such as flying, sailing, and operating wherever international law permits, prioritizing safe and responsible conduct. He emphasized the significance of upholding freedom of navigation by international law, particularly in the South China Sea.

Dong, in the meeting, expressed concern that the Philippines has reneged on its commitments, attributing this to support from external actors. He noted continuous provocations by the Philippines on the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, territory claimed by both Beijing and Manila, as reported by Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu.

Keynote speech by Philippines President

President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered the keynote speech at the summit and became the first Southeast Asian President to do so. During his speech, Marcos referenced international agreements such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which laid out a legal structure governing marine and maritime endeavors.

Marcos highlighted that UNCLOS not only delineated the boundaries of each state’s maritime zones but also outlined the scope of their authority in exercising sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction within those zones. He noted that the Philippines had actively worked to synchronize its territorial and maritime zone definitions with the parameters recognized and permitted by international law.

He said that “our efforts stand in stark contrast to assertive actions that aim to propagate excessive and baseless claims through force, intimidation, and deception,” although he did not name China directly.

Zelenskyy in Singapore

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also arrived in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue conference, where would meet U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and discuss support for his embattled country in an address to delegates.

After arriving at the conference venue in a motorcade amid heavy security, Zelenskyy said in a statement on the social media platform that he had come to gather support from the Asia-Pacific region for a peace summit planned for June 15-16 in Switzerland.

I arrived in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense summit.

Global security is impossible when the world’s largest country disregards recognized borders, international law, and the UN Charter, resorts to hunger, darkness, and nuclear blackmail.… pic.twitter.com/7SPi4Rk6BN

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 1, 2024

“Global security is impossible when the world’s largest country disregards recognized borders, international law, and the U.N. Charter, resorts to hunger, darkness, and nuclear blackmail,” he said in his statement, referring to Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russia has not attended the Shangri-La Dialogue since the invasion.