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Minister for Defence of Singapore Ng Eng Hen met with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu today (Jun. 1), where both ministers co-chaired the second Singapore-China Defence Ministers' Dialogue (DMD).
Li, a State Councilor and China's Minister of National Defense, is currently making an introductory visit to Singapore from Jun. 1 to Jun. 4. He will also be attending and addressing the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, taking place on Jun. 4.
Secure hotline
Ng and Li witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Establishment of a Secure Defense Telephone Link during their meeting.
Under the MOU, both defence establishments will work towards establishing a Secure Defense Telephone Link for high-level communications between defence leaders of the two countries.
The MOU was signed by China's People’s Liberation Army Deputy Chief of Joint Staff Central Military Commission Lieutenant-General Jing Jianfeng and Chan Heng Kee, Permanent Secretary of Defence.
Bilateral cooperation
Both DMD and the MOU are initiatives under the Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation (ADESC) signed in 2019.
The ADESC formalised and provided a framework for developing a bilateral defence partnership between Singapore and China.
During their meeting, Ng and Li reaffirmed their commitment towards strengthening defence cooperation.
Both ministers also discussed global and regional security issues and practical ways to strengthen Asean-China defence cooperation under the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus.
During his introductory visit, Li will also be meeting Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
He will also be hosted to dinner by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue
Li will be speaking at a plenary session titled "China's New Security Initiatives" during the Shangri-La Dialogue on Jun. 4.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is an annual top-level security forum organised by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS).
Earlier this week, it was reported that China turned down a meeting with the U.S. defence chiefs at the upcoming Shangri-La Dialogue.
This was despite reports that the U.S. and China defence chiefs were likely to meet on the sidelines at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will also be attending and addressing the dialogue on Saturday (Jun. 3), a day before Li is scheduled to speak at the plenary session.
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Top image via Ng Eng Hen/Facebook.