By Clint Richards
As regional tension dissipates, the strategic imperatives of the Shangri-La Dialogue countries reemerge.
After a tense round of public speeches at the Shangri-La Dialogue last weekend, followed by further rhetoric from Japan and Vietnam early this week, some of the countries involved are starting to voice a more conciliatory tone. While the most belligerent parties at the conference, Japan, China and the U.S., have yet to make any overt attempts to ease the tensions evoked, smaller states with a vested interest in regional stability are making their displeasure public.
Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen gave a public interview on Tuesday in which he displayed the host country’s displeasure at the potential damage to trade that the heightened security situation may create. His comments encompassed several aspects of the dispute, and Singapore’s role in regional security.
To begin with, he emphasized the link between security and trade. “It’s completely artificial to think that there are somehow firewalls between trade and security. We shouldn’t from a security point of view be dominating headlines every few days… At some point it may impact trade and our real economies,” Ng said, according to Bloomberg. He acknowledged China’s rising influence in the region, and said that it was important that the country clearly articulate its position, while emphasizing that dialogue was essential.
Read the full story at The Diplomat