International principles help Asean tackle regional challenges: Ng

The global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and Ukraine-Russia war has exposed vulnerabilities such as supply chain disruptions and geopolitical rivalry, as well as terrorism and cyber attacks, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday.

Asean can address these challenges collectively, based on international principles that individual countries can agree on, he said at the sixth Putrajaya Forum held in Kuala Lumpur.

Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security, the event brings together defence ministers, officials and academics to discuss defence and security issues.

In a speech that outlined the impact of these two "epochal events" since the last Putrajaya Forum in 2018, Dr Ng cited three key areas as the way forward for security cooperation in the region.

First, the primacy of every country's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld, he said, speaking on the topic of "Broadening security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific: Prospects and possibilities".

"Where there are disputes, we must reject forced and illegal aggression by any country, and instead pursue the settlement of disputes by peaceful means."

He said positive examples include the territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia over two islands in the Celebes Sea, Sipadan and Ligitan.

The disputes between Malaysia and Singapore over Pedra Branca, the Middle Rocks and South Ledge, and the land reclamation by Singapore in and around the Strait of Johor were also settled peacefully, based on well-accepted international law or practices.

Second, while each country must be able to make decisions based on its own interests, there are shared mechanisms to address transnational challenges, he said.

Countries can also engage in confidence-building measures to de-escalate tensions and mitigate adverse consequences.

Confidence-building initiatives such as the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea have been practised by all 18 Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) navies, Dr Ng said.

The 10 Asean countries and eight dialogue partners make up the ADMM-Plus. The Plus countries refer to the United States, China, India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Third, Dr Ng said dialogue and collaboration must be stepped up in the security realm and in building confidence and increasing understanding through established platforms, such as the ADMM-Plus and Five Power Defence Arrangements.

Cooperation has been necessitated by Covid-19 and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. These challenges have stress-tested existing arrangements, alliances and partnerships, and revealed gaps and vulnerabilities, said Dr Ng.

There have been supply chain disruptions, and the prices of commodities and fuel have risen sharply. The Ukraine-Russia conflict puts at risk climate change-related efforts, said Dr Ng, as well as efforts related to cyber security, building digital economies and enhancing digital norms.

Global terrorist groups have kept their recruitment and radicalisation strategies current, the minister said, and are exploiting cyberspace to great effect.

"By strengthening resilience and response within Asean, and by Asean, to these challenges, we will give greater credibility to Asean centrality," he added.

Yesterday, Dr Ng also met his counterparts Hishammuddin Hussein of Malaysia, Haji Awang Halbi Haji Mohd Yussof of Brunei and Delfin Lorenzana of the Philippines and reaffirmed defence ties.