Singapore believes a stable, prosperous and successful China would benefit Singapore and the region, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said.
He made this point at his meeting last Saturday night with Ms Fu Ying, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Singapore's Ministry of Defence said in a statement after the meeting that both sides reaffirmed the warm and friendly relationship between Singapore and China.
"Dr Ng emphasised Singapore's belief that a stable, prosperous and successful China would benefit Singapore and the region, and reiterated Singapore's continued support for China's success," Mindef said.
"Dr Ng and Ms Fu also engaged in frank discussions on regional security issues and agreed on the usefulness of enhancing bilateral and multilateral cooperation, especially through the Asean-Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus," the statement added.
The ADMM-Plus is a forum for defence ministers and militaries of all 10 Asean nations and eight key partners - Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States - to meet regularly and hold exercises to build confidence and trust.
Dr Ng met US Defence Secretary James Mattis last Friday night and they affirmed their countries' longstanding security partnership. They discussed, among other things, the importance of the US' engagement in the Asia-Pacific, regional stability and rule of law, and the regional architecture.
Dr Ng also met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and British Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon.
Chong Zi Liang
