Multilateralism, dialogue necessary for stability in the region: S’pore and Australia leaders

SINGAPORE – No country in Asean wants to be forced to take sides, or be in a position where it has to either contain China’s rise or limit the United States’ presence, said Acting Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday.

Speaking at the

8th Singapore-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting

, he said: “Any move in either direction will have few takers in the region because no one in Asean wants to see a new Cold War.”

Deputy Prime Minister Wong, who was standing in for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,

who has Covid-19

, was responding to a question at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on whether it was counter-productive to regional security that China had declined a meeting proposed by the US.

The meeting between Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin would have taken place in Singapore at the

20th edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue

.

The annual defence summit is being held from Friday to Sunday at the Shangri-La hotel.

Mr Wong said that Asean’s take on regional and security cooperation is to have an “open and inclusive framework”.

This is done through forums where Asean is at the centre, such as the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, which includes Asean and eight other countries.

“We welcome new security arrangements like the Quad and Aukus so long as they continue to uphold Asean centrality, uphold a rules-based order based on international law,” said Mr Wong, who added that Asean will continue to engage all parties.

The Quad

, formed in 2004 and officially known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a group comprising the US, Australia, India and Japan.

Aukus is a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the US that was announced in September 2021.

“Our approach is not so much about passive non-alignment, but about multi-engagement with all the players in the region, so that the region will not be dominated by any single power. There will be different players with stakes in the region, working together for our shared interest,” added Mr Wong.

Mr Albanese, who is on an official visit to Singapore and attending the Shangri-La Dialogue, said that dialogue is “always a good thing”.

“Engagement and discussion brings with it understanding,” he added.

He also said that it was a positive thing that both the Chinese and US defence chiefs are participating in the event.

Mr Wong noted that Singapore and Australia share the same outlook on multilateralism, adding that both countries can help to steer developments in the region towards a path that “gives us the best chances for continued stability and growth”.

He stressed that if there is an erosion of international rules, countries may start moving towards the direction of regional spheres of influence or blocs. This could lead to a world where there will be beggar-thy-neighbour policies, where a country has economic and trade policies that adversely affect its neighbours or trading partners. 

Mr Wong said: “Countries will naturally assert their own interest and override international rules on the basis of their so-called national security interest.”

He added: “Increasingly under such a scenario, we move towards more of a case when ‘might’ becomes ‘right’, and we end up with a situation where the law of the jungle prevails.”

Likewise, Mr Albanese said that multilateralism is even more important now in an interconnected world. Using the ongoing Ukraine war as an example, he added: “We see the consequences when conflict occurs, the impact on people directly affected in Ukraine, but also the impact that it’s had on the global economy, inflation and on energy prices.”

Singapore welcomed Australia’s involvement in the region, said Mr Wong, noting that the country was the first dialogue partner with which Asean upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

He said the bloc is looking at how to upgrade other arrangements such as the Asean-Australia-New Zealand free trade agreement.

Meanwhile, Mr Albanese said that the “upgrading of the relationship” is symbolic of the strong relationship his country has with Asean.

In March 2024, his country will host a summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Asean-Australia Dialogue Partnership.

Mr Albanese called the event the most significant international gathering that will occur in Australia since it hosted the Group of 20 summit in 2014.

“That says something about how important it is.”