DEFENCE MINISTER VISITS CHINA

As part of his official visit to China, Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean called on State Councillor, Minister of National Defense and Member of the Central Military Commission, General (GEN) Liang Guanglie on 13 Oct.

Both ministers exchanged views on the regional security situation and the development of a regional security architecture. They reaffirmed the importance of the defence relationship as a component of the longstanding and multifaceted bilateral relationship between Singapore and China, and agreed to enhance exchanges between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

As part of his five-day visit, Mr Teo also met with Vice Premier and Member of the Politburo Standing Committee Li Keqiang.

Over the next few days, Mr Teo will be meeting other key provincial officials and senior PLA commanders in Urumqi, Zhanjiang and Shenzhen, and visiting the South Sea Fleet in Zhanjiang.

This visit is a continuation of the exchange of visits by defence ministers since 1997. Mr Teo's last visit to China was in 2005, while then Minister of National Defence GEN Cao Gangchuan visited Singapore in 2006.

Mr Teo's visit underscores the progress in the defence relationship between Singapore and China following the signing of the bilateral Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation (ADESC) and the inaugural Permanent Secretary-level Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD) in January this year.

The ADESC formalises ongoing activities between Singapore's Ministry of Defence and the PLA, including exchanges of visits, attendance of each other's courses and port calls. It also includes new areas of cooperation such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The DPD provides a useful platform for both sides to exchange views on regional security and to discuss defence exchanges and security cooperation.