Building up defence capabilities must go with reassuring other countries: Chan Chun Sing
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Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing with Mr Shi Taifeng , a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Minister of the CPC Central Committee Organisation Department, in Beijing, on Sept 17.
PHOTO: MINDEF
Follow topic:
- Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said countries have the right to build defence, but must reassure others amid growing capabilities.
- Singapore builds defence anticipating future challenges, aiming to secure peace without using force, said Mr Chan.
- Singapore maintains strong ties with both the US and China through dialogues, exchanges, and military exercises and will continue to do so.
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BEIJING – While every country has the right to build up its defence based on its needs, efforts to reassure other countries about its intentions must also strengthen as such capabilities grow, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.
Speaking to Singapore and Chinese media on Sept 18, Mr Chan said that enhancing a country’s security should not result in making others feel less secure, in response to a question about China’s military parade on Sept 3
China held a major parade to mark Victory Day – 80 years after Japan’s surrender on Sept 2, 1945, that officially ended World War II – with a display of military hardware such as intercontinental ballistic missiles and underwater drones, as well as fighter jet fly-pasts.
Mr Chan said: “Every country will have aspirations and also the right to build up their own defence capabilities according to their needs. However, as we become more capable in our defence capabilities... the greater must be our efforts to reassure people.”
This also applies to the Singapore Armed Forces, he added.
“It is not just about building capabilities; it is about how we use and not use the capability as a last resort,” he said.
“We build up our capabilities ahead of time in anticipation of future challenges, but we will be very happy that we will never have to reveal or have to use those capabilities, which means that we would have achieved our job of securing the peace without having to resort to force.”
In a 10-minute interview, Mr Chan also spoke about his meetings with Chinese counterparts, Singapore’s relations with the United States and China, and his experience at the Xiangshan Forum
Mr Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, was on his first visit to China
He met senior defence officials, such as top-ranked general Zhang Youxia
He said that such meetings were useful as they allowed him to have a deeper sense of their perspectives, and “to get a sense of how they read events, what their concerns are and what they hope to achieve”.
On the Xiangshan Forum, he said it was a chance to listen to not just the Chinese perspective, but also those of other foreign participants.
Delegations from more than 100 countries, regions and international organisations are taking part in the three-day event that began on Sept 17.
“I think the general mood in the Xiangshan Forum is (that) everyone is rightfully concerned about the global security situation, especially the smaller countries,” said Mr Chan.
“They would want to see how we can develop mechanisms to enhance dialogue, build confidence and manage conflicts if ever conflicts or skirmishes break out.”
Asked about future defence cooperation with China beyond joint military exercises, Mr Chan said Singapore has regular dialogues and exchanges with both China and the US.
He said the relationships between Singapore and the US, and Singapore and China are not just of military ties, but span many domains.
“We have very good military, economic, social and cultural ties with both the US and China, and we are constantly finding ways to strengthen those ties,” he noted.
“So, even on the defence establishment side, we have regular dialogues and exchanges between ourselves and the Chinese military establishment, (as well as) between ourselves and the US military establishment. And that is how we intend to go forward.”
