Singapore defence chief’s Beijing forum trip part of US-China balancing act: analysts

Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen raises South China Sea issue in speech at Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, hopes ‘dialogue will continue’

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Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen speaks during the first plenary session of the 11th Xiangshan Forum, in Beijing on Friday. Photo: AP

Published: 5:07pm, 13 Sep 2024Updated: 7:50pm, 13 Sep 2024

The Singapore defence chief’s visit to China to attend a premier annual security conference could be a demonstration of the city state’s aims to build defence ties with both Washington and Beijing, observers said.

They said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen was likely to share Singapore’s concerns over regional issues including Taiwan and tensions in the South China Sea as he met Beijing’s key security officials on the sidelines of the Xiangshan Forum.

Ng raised the South China Sea issue in his speech at the forum in Beijing on Friday, stressing China’s role in the territorial disputes and calling for greater dialogue.

“Just as China has shown resolve and commitment to help deal with security issues in other places, it also plays a key role in our own backyard, particularly in the South China Sea,” he said.

Tensions in the resource-rich waterway – most of it claimed by China – remain high amid a series of clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels, despite efforts by both rival claimants to de-escalate the situation.

Beijing and Manila reached a provisional agreement in July after repeated clashes near the Second Thomas Shoal, and held talks this week over Sabina Shoal, another disputed reef that has emerged as a fresh hotspot. Both features are part of the contested Spratly Islands, claimed by China as the Nansha Islands.