One day after Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had a meeting on Thursday, May 30, with China's State Councilor and Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe during his visit to Singapore.

Wei is here for the high-level Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defence summit gathering defence ministers from all over the world. PM Lee will be opening the event, which begins Friday (May 31), and Wei as well as U.S. Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan are also slated to speak.

Discussed defence cooperation

According to a Ministry of Defence press release, the meeting took place on the morning of May 30, and saw PM Lee and Wei discuss multiple aspects of defence cooperation between Singapore and China.

Both parties affirmed the "longstanding, warm and friendly" bilateral relations between Singapore and China, along with their progression over the years.

Additionally, PM Lee and Wei exchanged views on regional security and underscored the importance of deepening cooperation and building mutual trust among countries. 

Visits to Changi Naval Base, ship & submarine

Wei then visited Changi Naval Base, the RSS Singapura, afterwards in the afternoon.

Here, Wei went aboard the Archer-class submarine RSS Swordsman and the Formidable-class frigate RSS Stalwart.

This isn't Wei's first time on the RSS Stalwart — according to a Facebook post from the Singapore Navy, Wei visited it last month in Qingdao, at the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) 70th Anniversary International Fleet Review and Southeast Asia-China Maritime Exercise held from April 22 to 25.

Wei was then briefed on the operations of the Singapore Navy's Information Fusion Centre (IFC) and its contribution to maritime security.

He also visited the Chinese International Liaison Officer attached to the IFC. This officer works with other navies in sharing information for safety using IFC's Real-Time Information-Sharing System (IRIS).

Why Wei's presence is important

Wei is here chiefly for the Shangri-La Dialogue held from Friday, May 31, to Sunday, June 2, where on Sunday, he will be delivering a highly-anticipated speech on China’s role in the Indo-Pacific region.

His presence is significant, because it's the first time China has sent its defence minister to the summit in eight years.

But apart from meeting with Defence Minister Ng and PM Lee, he will also meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat, and be hosted to dinner by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean. 

Ng had also hosted Wei to dinner:

More details of what Ng and Wei discussed:

Top image from MINDEF