Australia can play ‘stabilising role’ in Asia amid US-China tensions, Singapore ministers say
- Singapore’s foreign, trade and defence ministers held talks with their counterparts in Canberra ahead of a leaders’ meeting this month
- Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said Australian military vessels – including its future nuclear-powered submarines – were welcome at Changi Naval Base
Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan spoke glowingly about the state of bilateral ties in a press conference following the talks, saying both nations were complementary, “absolutely reliable” and trusted each other in a time of uncertainty in geopolitics.
“We fulfil our commitments to one another, and the level of trust which Australia has demonstrated to us, and I believe on a mutual basis, means all the more reason we need to double down on this,” Balakrishnan said.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, part of the Singapore delegation that also included Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, said Australia “can play a bigger role in our region” amid the complexities of the current environment.
Australia was not just an “Indo‑Pacific country, but an Asian country” and Singapore “would welcome Australian ships and planes through our bases, and ultimately when your submarines are ready, we would welcome them to call on our ports”, Ng said.
“We believe that Australia adds to regional security in Asean and beyond,” Ng added. “We look forward to these very, very positive aspects, and thank you once again for your friendship and your confidence in each other.”
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Asked whether Singapore would welcome Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines – to be procured under the Aukus security pact with the United States and Britain – Ng said those would not be the first such vessels to call at the city state, citing US nuclear-powered submarines that already call at Changi Naval Base.
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles also signalled Canberra’s strong satisfaction with the state of bilateral ties, which are underpinned by a broad Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed in 2015.
Prime Ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Anthony Albanese will have a leaders’ meeting in the coming month, he said.
“As we enter into the next leaders’ meeting between Australia and Singapore, we do so with a lot of optimism about the future of our bilateral relationship,” he said. Marles was accompanied by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell.
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“We want all powers, not just the superpowers but all middle powers … and I would include Australia in that, to have free access and opportunities in Southeast Asia and in the sea lanes and in the air lines of communication,” Balakrishnan said.
“The point here is that we want to head off these situations, and speaking from the point of view of Asean, that’s why we’re continuing our negotiations on our code of conduct,” he said, referring to the years-long talks between Beijing and the 10-nation Asean bloc for a rule book to guide maritime activity in the South China Sea.
“It will not resolve the disputes over sovereignty, but it can help build confidence by lowering the thresholds for conflict or for escalatory actions.”
Speaking at an event at the Australian National University before the bilateral talks, Balakrishnan cited Australia’s vast natural resources and its strong support for international law and multilateral free trade as the country’s “value propositions” as a stabilising force in Southeast Asia.
He noted that the country had the critical minerals required to aid the digitalising and greening of Southeast Asia economies.
Australia has the largest deposit of nickel, the second-largest deposits of lithium, cobalt and copper, and the fourth-largest deposits of manganese, he noted. “So if you believe that we are undergoing a green and digital transformation, guess who has the lion’s share of the essential raw materials for this new economy?”
As Southeast Asian countries strove for external partners to engage with them on their own terms instead of through the prism of major power competition, Australia represented “the ideal and most naturally aligned partner on this endeavour”, Balakrishnan said.
