Gaza war, South China Sea tensions likely key topics at 21st Shangri-La Dialogue in S’pore
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The event will see a total of seven plenary sessions and six special sessions.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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SINGAPORE – World leaders, defence ministers, chiefs of defence forces, senior officials and academics from around the world will gather in Singapore at the weekend for the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue, with the war in Gaza and tensions in the South China Sea expected to dominate discussions.
Organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the 2024 dialogue will be held from May 31 to June 2, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr scheduled to give the keynote speech on the evening of May 31.
This will be the first time a Philippine head of state will deliver the keynote speech at the annual event, and comes as Singapore and the Philippines mark 55 years of diplomatic ties.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is scheduled to headline the first plenary session on June 1, during which he is expected to outline the US’ strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific
Mr Austin will also be meeting his counterpart from China, Admiral Dong Jun,
This follows a phone call between the pair in April, in what was the first substantive interaction between the defence chiefs of both countries in 18 months.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to make a special address on the afternoon of June 1.
Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen will speak at a plenary on June 2 on reimagining solutions for regional stability, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a statement on the evening of May 30.
Dr Ng will also hold bilateral meetings with ministers and senior officials from various countries on the sidelines of the dialogue, Mindef added.
He will host the 12th Five Power Defence Arrangements Defence Ministers’ Meeting on May 31 and meet visiting ministers for roundtable discussions on June 1 and June 2.
Mindef said it is expecting 45 countries at this year’s dialogue, with 49 ministerial-level delegates and more than 40 senior defence officials in attendance.
The event will see a total of seven plenary sessions and six special sessions, but IISS had yet to announce the full list of speakers by press time.
