Chan Chun Sing calls for more partnerships with like-minded countries as nature of conflicts evolves

SINGAPORE – As conflicts evolve, there is a need for more networks of flexible and issue-based arrangements to complement multilateral cooperation, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said.

In his address at a Shangri-La Dialogue plenary session on May 31, Chan said that while multilateral institutions are the pillars of international cooperation, countries cannot be “held hostage by the lowest common denominator” as new domains evolve rapidly.

Instead, nations should develop flexible partnerships with like-minded countries, forming “coalitions of the able and willing”.

“These serve as the connecting beams of our cooperative lattice – to bridge gaps, test ideas and path-find in new and uncharted territories,” he said.

Chan said that with these networks, countries can work to build trust in domains such as cyber and artificial intelligence. He highlighted how Singapore has worked with the Netherlands and South Korea to start global discussions on military AI governance.

On the cyber front, Singapore launched the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Cybersecurity and Information Centre of Excellence in 2023 to better allow exchanges among ASEAN defence establishments to counter the threats of cyberattacks, disinformation and misinformation.

Chan said that Singapore also sees an urgent need to establish guard rails to protect critical underwater infrastructure, including telecommunications and energy cables.

He highlighted the recent launch of a 17-country initiative to protect such systems, which Singapore led.

The Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges (GUIDE), launched on May 30 on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, is the first of its kind that cuts across regions to deal with undersea security challenges. It will facilitate information sharing to support early warning for security incidents.

At the plenary session on May 31, titled “Evolving Security Partnerships in a Fragmenting World”, the minister fielded questions about the function of the new framework.

He also spoke about the importance of establishing a common understanding of international laws and norms to protect critical underwater infrastructure, noting the participation of countries from the Baltic states, the Middle East and Oceania in GUIDE.

He added: “These are the practical things – how do we establish norms to allow good things to happen? How do we detect when bad things happen? And finally, how do we take to task the people who do bad things?”

Other speakers at the plenary session were the Philippines’ Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jr and Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of NATO’s military committee.

In his speech, Chan also highlighted the need to maintain and update principles critical to security and progress, as well as the importance of managing domestic politics amid evolving conflicts.

The minister noted how conflicts such as those in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have shown that disputes are no longer geographically isolated. They have disrupted global supply and production chains far beyond those regions.

Present-day conflicts also reflect the interplay of many dimensions of power, including the weaponisation of economic leverage and the contestation of narratives.

Chan said conflicts are “no longer just about yesterday’s quarrels and today’s disputes”, but are also about “setting frameworks for tomorrow’s contests”.

This may involve access to vital lifelines such as information systems, energy grids and water systems.

While the current international system is not perfect and needs to be refreshed and aligned with present realities, the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater, Chan said. A world with weak institutions and norms, where every issue and every relationship is viewed through a transactional lens, would leave the world worse off, he added.

Therefore, rules and norms are especially critical when they are grounded in international law, the minister said.

He cited the example of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which provides clear and firm rules for maritime activities.

“Recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz remind us why such maritime rights matter. Should the right of transit passage be eroded, all countries that depend on maritime connectivity would be worse off,” he said.

On the topic of domestic politics, Chan said trust abroad requires confidence at home.

Domestic confidence and cohesion create the space for governments to conduct meaningful and constructive engagements and strike compromises and partnerships that are necessary for peace.

The minister said it may be tempting to enact simple, populist solutions to earn short-term domestic support.

Over time, however, such solutions erode trust, deepen divisions and leave societies less resilient.

Durable solutions require countries to deal with their own challenges directly through economic, military and informational means.

“The stronger our trust (is) at home, the more cohesive we are, the better placed we are to work with others abroad,” he said.

Maritime disputes

In his speech at the plenary session, Teodoro took aim at China for continuing to disregard a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines asserts that the ruling is legally binding.

He added that China’s refusal to take part in arbitration proceedings did not absolve it of its responsibility to comply with the ruling.

“Instead of honouring its obligations under UNCLOS, the People’s Republic of China exhorts the Philippines to ‘return to the path of negotiations’,” he said.

China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea via a “nine-dash line” – a position that is contested by four ASEAN countries, including the Philippines.

Teodoro’s remarks come amid the Philippines and China’s repeated maritime stand-offs in the South China Sea in recent ​years.

Teodoro was later asked by Senior Colonel Zhang Chi, an associate professor from China’s National Defense University, to explain a “contradiction” – while Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr speaks about having a code of conduct between ASEAN and China to govern maritime behaviour, the Philippines has sent personnel to uninhabited island reefs in the South China Sea. 

Responding, Teodoro said the “problem lies with the counterparty to the code of conduct”, and the Philippines will not sacrifice its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Another question for the panellists was what it would take for each of their countries or organisations to join a force to secure stability in the Gulf. 

Dragone said that while NATO does not have a direct role at present, its member nations are involved. He noted that there is a “coalition of the willing” in the Strait of Hormuz involving countries that are getting ready, in case they need to intervene.

Chan said Singapore will do what it can to address the immediate challenges in the region and establish the international norms necessary to uphold UNCLOS and the international rule of law.

He concluded the session with a poem summing up his thoughts.

“Words without action, nothing is achieved. Action without communication, trust is destroyed. No action, no communication, everything is impossible. Action and communication, nothing is impossible.”