SINGAPORE – Defence chiefs from around the world, including the United States and China, called on Singapore’s leaders on Friday, on the sidelines of the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue.

Acting Prime Minister Lawrence Wong hosted Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister Li Shangfu at The Treasury, as part of the Chinese general’s introductory visit to Singapore.

Mr Wong took on the role as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had tested positive for Covid-19 and is recuperating, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday.

Separately, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin called on Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen at the Shangri-La hotel, the venue for top defence officials from around the world to meet and discuss pressing security issues over the weekend.

Mr Austin also met Dr Ng and other South-east Asian defence ministers and their representatives on the sidelines of the dialogue.

Dr Ng had bilateral meetings with defence ministers in town for the dialogue, and reaffirmed defence ties.

He met his counterparts from Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Qatar, Sweden, Ukraine and Britain.

He also had meetings with regional counterparts Mohamad Hasan of Malaysia, Haji Awang Halbi Haji Mohd Yussof of Brunei, and Carlito Galvez Jr of the Philippines, as well as Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn.

At their morning meeting, Mr Wong and General Li reaffirmed the longstanding bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and China, and welcomed the progress in bilateral defence cooperation under the 2019 enhanced Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation (ADESC).

The ADESC was a defence pact that both nations signed in 2008 and strengthened in 2019 with commitments to scale up bilateral exercises and exchanges between the two defence establishments.

The two leaders also exchanged views on global and regional security developments at the meeting, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a statement.

This is Gen Li’s first visit to Singapore since his appointment in March.

He had met Dr Ng on Thursday for the second Singapore-China Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, after which the two leaders witnessed the signing of an agreement to set up a hotline to strengthen high-level defence communication.

Meanwhile, during his meeting with Mr Austin on Friday, Dr Ng expressed appreciation for the US’ longstanding support for the Singapore Armed Forces’ training in the US, which includes the basing of Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) training detachments.

The RSAF currently has three permanent training detachments in the US, including the Peace Carvin II detachment in Arizona, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.

On his part, Mr Austin conveyed his appreciation for Singapore’s consistent support of the US military presence in this region, which includes the hosting of rotational deployments.

Dr Ng and Mr Austin look forward to deepening bilateral cooperation, particularly through the RSAF’s acquisition and operationalisation of F-35B fighter aircraft, said Mindef.

Singapore had previously announced it would acquire a dozen of the fifth-generation stealth jets by the end of this decade, to eventually replace its ageing F-16 fighters.

The two leaders discussed geopolitical developments in the Asia-Pacific and agreed on the importance of the US’ continued engagement in the region. Mr Austin’s call underscores the excellent and longstanding bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and the US, said Mindef.

At the informal South-east Asia-US Defence Ministers’ meeting, the US Defence Secretary reaffirmed America’s commitment to the region and to enhancing defence cooperation, such as through the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.

Dr Ng welcomed the US’ commitment to engage with Asean, and said he looked forward to stronger defence relations and cooperation with the US to tackle regional and international security challenges.

Singapore and the Philippines signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief during Dr Ng’s meeting with Mr Galvez. The agreement will see both sides step up education, training and support activities in the field.

At Dr Ng’s meeting with Datuk Seri Mohamad, Singapore and Malaysia reaffirmed their mutual dedication to enhancing the partnership between their defence establishments and explored ways to further strengthen cooperation to tackle common security challenges, said Mindef.

Apart from the meetings, many of the defence chiefs will also speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Both Gen Li and Mr Austin are headline speakers at this year’s dialogue, which opened on Friday evening with a keynote address by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Mr Austin is slated to begin proceedings on Saturday by speaking at a session on US leadership in the Indo-Pacific, while Gen Li will speak at the first session on Sunday on China’s new security initiatives.