[…] Minister Chan was speaking at the sixth and final plenary of the 22nd SLD on the topic of enhancing security co-operation for a stable Asia-Pacific alongside Papua New Guinea Defence Minister Billy Joseph and Sweden Defence Minister Pål Jonson.
”For Singapore, we believe that taking sides, regardless of issues and context, breeds irrelevance,” Chan stated, adding that if we must choose sides, he hopes that it will be the side of principles.
These principles are ones that ”uphold a global order, where we do not descend into the law of the jungle, where the mighty do what they wish and the weak suffer what they must”, he explained.
”Singapore will choose the side of principles that promote a more integrated global economic and security order underpinned by international law and sovereign equality.” […]
He also pledged that Singapore would work alongside Asean to raise awareness and develop principles to ”facilitate defence co-operation on critical underwater infrastructure security in our region”. Läs artikel