US-China talks at Shangri-La Dialogue security summit give Southeast Asia ‘some comfort’, Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen says
- Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen says the very fact that US and China defence ministers held face-to-face talks gave region ‘some comfort’
- Ng described this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as ’unforgettable and unique’
Southeast Asian nations have taken “some comfort” from the first ever in-person meeting between the incumbent US and China defence ministers this weekend on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, the forum’s host Singapore said on Sunday.
Friday’s talks between China’s Defence Minister Wei Fenghe and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had been highly anticipated in the region, amid anxiety from small nations about being caught in the middle of growing antagonism between the superpowers.
“The very fact that both defence ministers meet, I think it did give some comfort,” Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told a press conference. “I think that was reassuring.”
“As for the way forward, Asean nations will take comfort that both have said there is no need to choose sides… but whether that’s the reality, I think only the facts will speak for themselves,” said Ng.