INAUGURAL SHERPA MEETING PAVES WAY FOR SHANGRI-LA DIALOGUE

To help strengthen and ensure that the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) remains at the forefront of defence diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific region, the first International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Fullerton Forum: The SLD Sherpa Meeting was held at the Fullerton Hotel from 17 to 19 Feb.

The name "Sherpa" is derived from the Tibetan people who often serve as guides and porters in the Himalayas. In this context, delegates are referred to as Sherpas as they help better prepare their respective ministerial representatives for the annual SLD. The Sherpa meeting also paves the way for the engagement that will take place at the Dialogue between participating states' ministers and other defence principals.

Delivering the keynote address on 18 Feb, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen noted that the SLD had become a "must-attend" annual event that provides a useful platform for ministers and senior defence officials around the world to meet and discuss key security issues.

More importantly, it "goes beyond mere dialogue" to deliver important outcomes such as the "Eyes in the Sky" initiative, he added.

Mooted at the 2005 SLD, the initiative led to the launch of combined air patrols over the Malacca Strait by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, and the subsequent sharp reduction of piracy attacks in the area.

"As Sherpas, I hope that you can steer the SLD to deliver more of such outcomes," said Dr Ng to about 60 defence officials as well as non-governmental defence experts from the 27 states that are regularly represented at the SLD. They include senior defence officials and military officers who are responsible for defence policy-making and international defence cooperation.

In his address, Dr Ng highlighted several potential threats to regional stability and growth, such as changes in economic dependencies, greater polarisation in wealth, age and ideology, as well as non-traditional challenges like climate change and natural disasters.

To ensure continued regional stability, he emphasised that effective regional and global frameworks should be anchored by the principles of openness and inclusiveness, respect for the rule of international law and a focus on delivering real results in order to be credible and optimise collaboration and decision-making between countries.

Dr Ng also pointed out that the relationship between the United States (US) and China was pivotal to global stability as it set the overall context for other bilateral and multilateral relationships in the region.

He added that the US-China bilateral relationship should widen areas of mutual interest such as trade and military collaboration to achieve better cooperation and accommodation. The two nations could also build confidence, capacity and military-to-military relations in multilateral settings like the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus, which will conduct its first 18-nation exercise this year on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

In a question and answer session after his address, Dr Ng was asked for his thoughts about the political changes in the US and China vis- -vis issues such as the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He replied that he saw potential opportunities, threats and risks, and hoped the leaders of the two nations would take the opportunity to "reset the relationship and move forward".

SLD Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Security, Mr Alexander Neill, described the Sherpa Meeting as an occasion to "sharpen the focus on the key questions that are being laid out" on the international stage. He said: "The general atmosphere has been quite convivial. Participants and delegates are taking an open approach to the dialogue." All the main sessions of the Sherpa meeting are off-the-record.

Issues such as arms procurement and capability development efforts in the Asia-Pacific region and regional flashpoints will be discussed over the three-day meeting, which is organised by IISS, the same institute that organises the SLD.

The SLD will be held from 31 May to 2 Jun this year.