Shangri La dialogue closes in Singapore

The 13th annual Shangri La Dialogue closed in Singapore on June 1 after three days, with a majority present voicing concern over the ongoing tensions in the East Sea after China illegal dispatched its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone in early May.
The 13th annual Shangri La Dialogue closed in Singapore on June 1after three days, with a majority present voicing concern over theongoing tensions in the East Sea after China illegal dispatched its oilrig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusiveeconomic zone in early May.

During the fourth plenary session,themed “Major Powers’ Perspectives on Peace and Security in theAsia-Pacific” on the dialogue’s final day, Deputy Chief of the GeneralStaff of the People’s Liberation Army of China, Wang Guanzhong, saidChina backs cooperation, dialogue and improved strategic trust amongcountries.

He added that the country will work more closelywith the US, Russia, India and other regional powers to maintain peaceand promote prosperity in the region.

Asked about the nine-dotline that China claims in the East Sea, Wang revealed it is preparingfor direct negotiations with countries concerned.

To cope withsecurity risks, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov calledfor coordinated efforts under the auspices of the United Nations and itsSecurity Council, as well as regional and sub-regional architecturessuch as the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEANDefence Ministers’ Meeting.

At the fifth session, themed“Ensuring Agile Conflict Management in the Asia Pacific” the same day,French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian expressed hope for the earlyintroduction of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea, which he said isthe only deterrent to rows and would act as a tool to forge anenvironment of peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Singaporean Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen noted that it is possible tomitigate conflicts by actively establishing relations in a strongmultilateral framework in order to build trust via cooperation andconsensus.

The dialogue, also known as the Asian SecuritySummit, was organised by the International Institute of StrategicStudies, a London think-tank, and gathered defence and militaryrepresentatives and academics from 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific andbeyond.

The agenda of the five plenary sessions also focused onthe contribution of the US to regional stability and the process ofadvancing military-to-military cooperation.-VNA

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