The war in Gaza and tensions in the South China Sea are expected to dominate discussions at the Shangri-La Dialogue. - ST
SINGAPORE: Defence ministers, chiefs of defence forces, senior officials and academics from around the world will gather in Singapore over 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 in 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
Austin will also be meeting his counterpart from China, Admiral Dong Jun, at the event. Dong will deliver an address at a plenary session on China’s approach to global security on June 2
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.
Indonesian President-Elect Prabowo Subianto is also scheduled to make a special address in the afternoon of June 1. - The Straits Times/ANN
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