Singapore-Singapore and China’s defense facilities signed two agreements on Thursday (June 9) for further cooperation in military education and academic exchange between military schools and think tanks.
Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe witnessed the signature after the first dialogue between Singapore and China’s Defense Ministers at the Ministry of Defense (Mindef).
The formal meeting, co-chaired by Dr. Ng and General Wei, is an initiative under a strengthened agreement on defense exchanges and security cooperation, to significantly strengthen bilateral defense cooperation in October 2019. Is an agreement signed by.
The agreement is also under the strengthened agreement.
The first agreement between Mindef and the Chinese Ministry of Defense is renewed every five years to facilitate mutual attendance of the course by Singapore Armed Forces and PLA officers. It was last signed in 2017.
The second is the MOU on Academic Cooperation between the Safty Military Institute and the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, which can enhance academic exchange through research visits and Track 1.5 dialogue.
The Track 1.5 dialogue is a mix of government officials and non-governmental experts.
During the two-hour dialogue, the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen defense cooperation through the resumption and regular implementation of bilateral exercises on the flagship.
These were reserved for the Covid-19 pandemic.
For example, the last flagship exercise between Singapore and the Chinese Army, Exercise Cooperation, took place in Singapore in July 2019.
In addition, Dr. Ng and Gen Wei, a member of the State Council, discussed global security issues and practical ways to strengthen defense exchanges and cooperation between ASEAN and China under the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Conference Plus, Mindef. Said.
The first agreement on defense exchange and security cooperation signed in 2008 also includes continued high-level mutual attendance at multilateral conferences and dialogues such as Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue and Beijing Xiangshan Forum. I am.
When General Wei met in Mindef, he hugged Dr. Ng, where the Chinese minister also visited the guardian of honor.
The Chinese Minister is one of the headline speakers of the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue this weekend and is expected to speak on Sunday about China’s vision for regional order.
He last visited Singapore in May 2019, attending the final edition of the Defense and Security Conference hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
More than 40 countries will participate in this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, with 37 ministerial-level representatives and more than 30 defense officials, scholars and business leaders.
