Singapore has ‘a vested interest’ in ensuring US-China communication lines are good: Ng Eng Hen

GENERAL LI WAS “VERY CLEAR” IN SPEECH

When asked about what he felt about General Li’s speech, Dr Ng said many leaders had told him they were impressed and said he was “very clear” in his stance.

“I am glad that he delivered it in a calm manner. Whether you like the content or not depends on the listener, but the clarity was in terms of – if you like – where the red lines were; what effect it will have on countries. Each country will have to decide,” he added.

In a plenary speech on Sunday morning, Dr Ng listed examples of how American and Chinese officials had conducted regular exchanges at all levels “as recent as a decade ago”. The US’ and China’s defence ministers last visited each other countries in 2018.

Dr Ng told reporters: “People can forget that they were at that, and I think that’s something that you can aspire to.

“I can assure you, if you put soldiers of two militaries together, they will click … it takes time. That’s the building of relationships. So we want (the US and China) to have that kind of relationship and we are confident that over time they will establish that.”

“We’re just observers, but we’re not disinterested bystanders as I said. We have a vested interest to make sure that the US-China communication lines are good.”

Dr Ng also gave some views on a Chinese warship that had on Saturday manoeuvred “in an unsafe manner” near an American warship transiting through the Taiwan Strait, according to the US military.

Dr Ng said that all countries are “concerned when either big or fast-moving objects move close” to one another.

“And that’s why, ASEAN, we’ve been working very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he added, making reference to two sets of guidelines for unplanned air and sea encounters between ASEAN countries.

“Incidents have happened … and (that is) exactly our point. If it happens, who are you going to call? Ghostbusters?” Dr Ng quipped.

In giving his assessment of how this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue had turned out, Dr Ng said that some people had told him that if there was no such thing at the moment, “we would have needed one very much”.

“So in that sense, it’s an affirmation that the Shangri-La Dialogue plays a role and that it fills in the gaps now, obviously,” he added.