Japan’s Kishida to visit Singapore for Shangri-La security dialogue, amid Russian aggression, China’s assertiveness
- Japan condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and called for preventing a similar crisis in the Indo-Pacific, where China’s assertiveness heightened tensions
- A meeting between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s Defence Minister Wei Fenghe could also occur on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit Singapore to attend the Shangri-La security dialogue from June 10, becoming the first Japanese leader to do so since 2014, the government said on Wednesday.
The visit comes as Kishida aims to stress the need for coordinated efforts to cope with Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the rise of an assertive China. The prime minister will deliver a keynote speech at the forum.
The annual security forum, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, is scheduled from June 10 to 12 in Singapore, attended by defence ministers, officials, and experts. During his trip, Kishida is expected to hold talks with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a Japanese government source said.
“As the only Asian nation among the Group of Seven, I will tell [the audience] the kind of role Japan will play going forward at a time when the diplomatic and security environment is becoming increasingly severe,” Kishida said during a parliamentary session.
In 2014, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a speech at the conference.