https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/523568/feed The latest news and top stories on Chan Chun Sing, a Singaporean Minister. He currently serves as Coordinating Minister for Public Services, Minister for Defence and Minister-in-charge of Public Service. Formerly Minister for Education and Minister for Trade and Industry, he advanced lifelong learning and led economic development. A former Major-General and Chief of Army, he was awarded the Distinguished Master Strategist Award by the US Army Command and General Staff College. He has defended... en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg CNA CNA Eight public service officers have been referred to Singapore police after a review of 191 officers’ property transactions, Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing has told parliament. The review followed a working paper by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research, which identified 2007 to 2011 as the period of concern. The Public Service Division (PSD) extended the scope to 2014 as a matter of prudence, Chan said on Tuesday, because many new MRT station locations... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369917/8-public-officers-singapore-referred-police-after-property-review https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369917/8-public-officers-singapore-referred-police-after-property-review Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:13:29 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. South Korean killer’s drone escape from Philippine prison foiled by test footage A South Korean crime lord convicted of murder in the Philippines reportedly planned to escape prison by strapping himself to a drone – until his own accomplice’s rehearsal footage gave the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/article/3368188/south-korean-killers-escape-foiled-singapore-ministers-mandarin-speech-7-asia-highlights https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/article/3368188/south-korean-killers-escape-foiled-singapore-ministers-mandarin-speech-7-asia-highlights Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:30:06 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing’s use of Mandarin and Chinese philosophy in his speech at a major security forum in Beijing has won him praise on Chinese social media, while shedding light on how cultural familiarity and language can be diplomatic tools for the city state. Videos of Chan at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum quoting ancient philosopher Mencius, or Mengzi in Mandarin, have gone viral on platforms such as Weixin and Baidu, with users hailing his command of the language and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3368046/singapore-minister-chan-chun-sings-mandarin-diplomacy-strikes-china-chord https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3368046/singapore-minister-chan-chun-sings-mandarin-diplomacy-strikes-china-chord Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:41:36 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore’s Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing is set to visit China from Tuesday to Thursday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun and will speak at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum for the second consecutive year. His visit comes as defence analysts tell This Week in Asia that ties with Beijing are important for the city state’s balancing strategy with Washington. Singapore and the United States are close strategic partners with deep defence cooperation. Singapore’s defence ministry... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3367501/singapores-chan-chun-sing-visit-china-speak-defence-forum https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3367501/singapores-chan-chun-sing-visit-china-speak-defence-forum Mon, 14 Sep 2026 14:25:53 +0000 Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Jean Iau,Kolette Lim As the Shangri-La Dialogue drew to a close on Sunday, two issues dominated discussions throughout the event: defence spending and the varying level of commitment of countries to maintain peace in the region after calls by Washington for its allies and others to pull their weight. Analysts said the 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product for defence spending proposed by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was not something that most Asean countries – aside from Singapore – could commit to. Hegseth... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3355475/shangri-la-dialogue-can-asia-do-less-shangri-la-more-ships-more-subs https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3355475/shangri-la-dialogue-can-asia-do-less-shangri-la-more-ships-more-subs Sun, 31 May 2026 12:25:52 +0000 Kolette Lim,Jean Iau Kolette Lim,Jean Iau Seventeen countries have agreed to collaborate on defence strategies for critical marine infrastructure such as undersea cables, an effort that analysts warn may be undermined by the absence of superpower involvement. At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, defence ministers and representatives from these countries attended the launch of the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges (Guide), which aims to bring countries together to explore potential areas... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3355411/17-nations-launch-pact-protect-vital-undersea-cables-amid-us-china-absence https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3355411/17-nations-launch-pact-protect-vital-undersea-cables-amid-us-china-absence Sat, 30 May 2026 09:55:59 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang China and British delegations discussed concrete plans to strengthen military engagement during talks on Friday on the sidelines of a major security event in Singapore. Major General Meng Xiangqing, who led the Chinese delegation to Asia’s largest defence summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, met United Kingdom military officials, signalling both militaries’ willingness to maintain communication. Meng, a professor at the PLA National Defence University, told the British officials that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3355352/chinese-and-uk-officials-shangri-la-dialogue-vow-strengthen-military-ties https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3355352/chinese-and-uk-officials-shangri-la-dialogue-vow-strengthen-military-ties Fri, 29 May 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang The results of the Xi-Trump summit and their implications for regional security will take centre stage this week during Asia’s largest defence forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, according to analysts. Zhu Feng, dean of Nanjing University’s School of International Studies, said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech at the forum would serve as an important gauge of how much the talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump had helped stabilise... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3355075/what-watch-shangri-la-dialogue-after-trumps-china-visit-resets-ties https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3355075/what-watch-shangri-la-dialogue-after-trumps-china-visit-resets-ties Wed, 27 May 2026 12:44:27 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s vision for a land bridge splits opinion: some see it as a crucial new Asian trade route for a global economy held hostage by geography, while others view it as an expensive and environmentally ruinous distraction for a kingdom with plenty already on its plate. But to its backers, the proposed road and rail corridor, bookended by ports on the Gulf of Thailand and another 90km (56 miles) away on the Andaman Sea, to bypass a vital chokepoint, has never felt more urgent. Iran’s virtual... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3351797/hormuz-crisis-revives-thailands-land-bridge-plan-business-case-still-lacking https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3351797/hormuz-crisis-revives-thailands-land-bridge-plan-business-case-still-lacking Wed, 29 Apr 2026 05:08:21 +0000 Barbora Valockova Barbora Valockova What does the world’s digital economy rest on? Thousands of kilometres of fibre-optic cable lying on the ocean floor and, increasingly, in the crosshairs of great-power rivalry. The confluence of recent subsea cable disruptions, gaps in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and intensifying great-power competition has elevated this underwater infrastructure from a technical and commercial concern to a security issue – characterised as “this century’s hidden battleground”. It has... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/opinion/article/3346525/underwater-and-unprotected-why-asean-and-eu-must-secure-subsea-lifelines https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/opinion/article/3346525/underwater-and-unprotected-why-asean-and-eu-must-secure-subsea-lifelines Sun, 15 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen If there is one big threat to maritime security in Southeast Asia, it is the growing wariness between the big players in the region. That was the assessment from Kao Kim Hourn, secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), at the just-concluded Munich Security Conference. “Overall the main threat would be the increasing strategic mistrust between and among the major powers,” he said during a panel on maritime security on Friday. Kao did not refer to any country... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343748/why-big-power-rivalry-main-threat-asean-maritime-security https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343748/why-big-power-rivalry-main-threat-asean-maritime-security Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:00:12 +0000 CNA CNA The United States on Tuesday announced the approval of a US$2.3 billion sale of P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, torpedoes and related equipment to Singapore. “The proposed sale will improve Singapore’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible maritime force capable of deterring adversaries,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement. It will “enhance the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340684/singapore-buy-us-aircraft-torpedoes-boost-asia-maritime-security https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340684/singapore-buy-us-aircraft-torpedoes-boost-asia-maritime-security Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:45:37 +0000 CNA CNA Singapore’s teachers are working some of the longest hours in the world and are shouldering higher levels of work-related stress than their peers in other developed nations, a major international study has found. The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), conducted every five years, is the world’s largest comparative survey of teachers and school leaders. Last year, TALIS canvassed 55 education systems, including 3,500 lower secondary teachers across all 145 public secondary... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328089/singapores-teachers-are-stressed-out-and-overworked-study-finds https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328089/singapores-teachers-are-stressed-out-and-overworked-study-finds Tue, 07 Oct 2025 04:44:19 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Corporate leaders should reject rising protectionism and nativist instincts by taking an active role in shaping global integration, Singapore’s Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Wednesday, as top figures at the Milken Institute Asia Summit warned of risks from technological disruption, geopolitical fragmentation and zero-sum thinking. Opening the summit in Singapore, Chan said business leaders should not be bystanders in times of upheaval but instead help steer political discourse and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3327502/singapores-defence-minister-urges-rejection-protectionism-nativist-instincts https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3327502/singapores-defence-minister-urges-rejection-protectionism-nativist-instincts Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:15:49 +0000 Dewey Sim,Zhao Ziwen Dewey Sim,Zhao Ziwen China’s defence minister summoned familiar talking points as he took aim at Western nations during a security conference on Thursday, urging nations to stand up against “bullying” and describing military alliances as groups with “selfish interests”. Dong Jun did not name any country but his calls appeared to resonate with defence chiefs from Southeast Asia, as they took turns criticising unilateral action, including tariffs, and calling for greater efforts to advance multilateralism. Dong... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3325991/chinas-defence-minister-warns-against-western-bullying-rallies-regional-allies https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3325991/chinas-defence-minister-warns-against-western-bullying-rallies-regional-allies Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:14:41 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China will work with Singapore to maintain regional stability and maritime order, Beijing’s top-ranked military officer told Singapore’s defence minister on Wednesday. General Zhang Youxia, a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), offered the commitment during talks with Chan Chun Sing on the sidelines of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. “China is willing to work with Singapore to … strengthen regional security cooperation, support each other’s core interests, maintain maritime... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3325909/china-ready-work-singapore-regional-stability-top-military-officer-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3325909/china-ready-work-singapore-regional-stability-top-military-officer-says Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:21:10 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore will acquire four Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft from the United States to counter submarine threats and refresh its maritime security capabilities, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing has said. Chan was in Washington this week to meet his counterpart, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon and shared Singapore’s decision to procure the aircraft that would replace the existing Fokker 50s, which had been in service since 1993. The P-8A maritime patrol aircraft is designed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3325052/singapore-boost-maritime-defence-4-boeing-p-8a-patrol-aircraft https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3325052/singapore-boost-maritime-defence-4-boeing-p-8a-patrol-aircraft Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:50:41 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Few political parties in the world know dominance the way Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP) does, as it looks set to become the longest-running administration in modern history. Following a resounding victory in May’s general election, the city state will on Friday open its 15th parliament that will largely resemble previous party alignments. The ruling party will continue to occupy a supermajority of seats, now at 87 of the 97 elected seats while its main rival, the Workers’ Party (WP),... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3323732/will-singapores-pap-rule-forever https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3323732/will-singapores-pap-rule-forever Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:20 +0000