Latest news with #ChanChunSing
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Southeast Asia joins Europe's calls to defend subsea cables
Defense officials from Europe and Southeast Asia called for stronger collaboration to protect the global network of subsea cables as concerns grow over threats to this vital infrastructure. Countries like Singapore and Malaysia are becoming key hubs for the roughly 600 fiber-optic cables that carry nearly all of the world's data. Meanwhile, a spike in cable damage in European waters, particularly in the Baltic Sea, has heightened fears about the network's vulnerability. "We need to work together to defend the entire network,' Singapore Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing said at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security forum on Sunday. "There's no point trying to defend the integrity and security of a submarine cable by looking at a point. We need both ends to be secure.' The issue came up repeatedly during the two-day summit in Singapore, with European officials keen to share what they've learned from the recent rise in subsea cable damage. Today, the global undersea cable network stretches about 1.4 million kilometers. With the demand for data center power projected to surge significantly with the advent of intensive artificial intelligence platforms, more cables are essential. Protecting them has become a key imperative in Europe since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with incidents in its waters mostly involving tankers traveling to and from Russia, and in at least one case, a Chinese vessel. Despite suspicions of sabotage, there's been no strong evidence pointing to deliberate attacks, with the incidents more likely to be accidents or careless behavior. Still, NATO countries have increased patrols in key areas to ensure the safety of undersea infrastructure. The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas urged European and Asian partners to work together at sea to tackle covert "shadow fleets' of tankers and review maritime security laws. Protecting digital cable infrastructure is important for the Philippines too, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in an interview. He added that his country, which is locked in a long-running dispute with China in the South China Sea, is working to build up its capabilities to address the threat. Thailand also called the issue a pressing concern, with Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai saying the country is collaborating with Singapore and Brunei. He added undersea infrastructure faces risks not only from sabotage, but also from accidents and natural disasters.
Malaysia Sun
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Malaysia Sun
ASEAN leaders at Shangri-La Dialogue: 'We won't choose sides'
Singapore's Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, June 1, 2025. /VCG In a special address to the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim - as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025 - rejected the pressure of choosing sides in geopolitical rivalries. Speaking at the final session of the dialogue on Sunday, Singaporean Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing echoed Anwar's stance. Out of geopolitical necessity, Southeast Asia must engage with both China and the United States as well as other nations, rather than take sides, he said. "If we have to choose sides, may we choose the side of principles - principles 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," Chan said. Their making clear the stance of taking no sides came after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Asia-Pacific countries to increase their military spending to 5 percent of GDP to counter perceived threats from China in a speech at the dialogue. Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said Hegseth's attempts to drive a wedge between China and ASEAN countries will not work. "I think the U.S. attempt to divide China and Asia-Pacific countries is ineffective because it lacks persuasiveness," Da told media on the sideline of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, May 31, 2025. /VCG No to bloc confrontation In his first address at the the Shangri-La Dialogue, Hegseth outlined the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" of the Trump administration since the U.S. president returned to the White House in January. The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed his remarks, saying that he deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a "threat." "The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow discord. China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S.," said the ministry in a statement. Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army, said the U.S. side has once again promoted its "Indo-Pacific Strategy" at the dialogue. After years of implementation, this strategy has achieved nothing beyond provoking incidents, creating crises, and destabilizing the Asia-Pacific region, Meng told China Media Group. The essence of America's "Indo-Pacific Strategy" is simply a tool for hegemony, he said. Militarily, it promotes bloc formation and confrontation - establishing mechanisms like the Quad between the U.S., Japan, India and Australia, and AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation with Australia and the United Kingdom; politically, it forces nations to choose sides; technologically, it erects "small yard, high fences" barriers; and economically, its trade wars and tariff policies push for decoupling between economies, and it also imposes coercion against others based on values, Meng explained. "This has artificially divided the Asia-Pacific region into competing blocs," he said. Shen Chen, deputy director of the Department of International Political Theory at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said the U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy" heightens regional tensions, embodying its practice of hegemonism and power politics. "Its very purpose is to perpetuate U.S. dominance by sacrificing regional peace and stability for its own interests," Shen told CGTN. A police officer walks on patrol during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, May 30, 2025. /VCG China's Asian security model: A better choice for region Zhang Chi, a member of the Chinese delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue, said China's Asian security model aligns with the common interests of all Asian nations and charts a practical path for the region to safeguard its prosperity and stability. At a central conference on work related to neighboring countries in April, China, for the first time, proposed the Asian security model that features sharing weal and woe, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and prioritizing dialogue and consultation. Shen, the CASS professor, said that the Asian security model demonstrates fundamental differences from the U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy." Emphasizing win-win cooperation and equal consultation, the Asian security model is committed to safeguarding regional peace and prosperity, he said. Aligned with the shared interests of all Asian nations, this model represents an open, inclusive, and mutually beneficial approach to security governance, Shen added. He also criticized the U.S. demand for Asian nations to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP as "both unreasonable and unrealistic." That would serve America's strategic self-interest, but it risks pushing Asia Pacific into an arms race, exacerbates regional tensions, and runs counter to the shared aspirations of regional countries for peace and development, said Shen. He said while some nations might waver under U.S. pressure, most will remain clear-eyed about the U.S. demand's irrationality. The Asian security model proposed by China offers a better alternative, said Shen, adding that regional countries prefer partnering with China and other major countries to uphold security through peace and collaboration - not following the U.S. down the path of military expansion. Read more: Shangri-La Dialogue: China says it rejects unilateralism, bullying Experts slam Hegseth's remarks at Shangri-La Dialogue as provocative, harmful to regional stability Source: CGTN
CNA
10 hours ago
- General
- CNA
Important for US, China to hear what each other has to say: Chan Chun Sing
Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing says despite the tensions between the US and China, both sides do want to have a better understanding of each other. He says in an interview at the end of the Shangri-La Dialogue that this is based on his interactions with both camps. Mr Chan says this is a good start, as both sides can benefit from face-to-face conversations. Jeraldine Yap tells us more
CNA
10 hours ago
- General
- CNA
If Singapore has to pick a side, it will choose principles: Chan Chun Sing
Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing says the country will not take sides amid rising geopolitical tensions and rivalries. Instead, the island-state will stand by principles that uphold a rules-based global order and safeguard its national interests. Aslam Shah has more.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Scope of each country's defence no longer so neatly defined: Chan Chun Sing
SINGAPORE – Technological and geopolitical changes in the world have intensified security challenges and prompted countries to redefine how they think of their defence in three crucial ways, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing. While this means the business of security has become more complex, it also opens up new opportunities for Singapore to work with more partners, Mr Chan told reporters on May 31. Speaking to the media after he hosted visiting ministers and representatives in a closed-door ministerial roundtable discussion, Mr Chan said a key topic of discussion was how 'defence and security can no longer be cut up so neatly based on geography, as per the past'. Instead, there was a strong sense that a geographic concept of security has become inadequate, with European ministers talking about their security being intertwined with that of the Asia-Pacific, and vice versa. A more networked world and greater awareness of threats from the information and cyber domains have also prompted new conversations about securing critical infrastructure, such as underwater cables that link nations to the internet, said Mr Chan. And while defence ministers used to be more concerned about kinetic warfare – the deployment of armed forces in combat – they are today equally concerned about the security and resilience of their supply chains and economies, he added. Mr Chan said a point made at the roundtable discussion was that meeting these challenges would be a long-term endeavour, requiring countries to work together. Ministerial roundtables are a regular feature of the Shangri-La Dialogue, where ministers engage in informal conversations over lunch. 'If we are really serious about building capabilities for the long haul, it must be a commitment across different political cycles,' Mr Chan said. The new challenges open up new avenues for Singapore to work with countries that are farther away but which have shared interests in developing capabilities, such as to secure supply chains and to counter disinformation, he added. During the 20-minute interview, Mr Chan was also asked about US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's remarks earlier in the day, which included a call for Asian countries to raise their defence spending and to not become economically dependent on China. Mr Chan said ministers at lunch were 'appreciative of (Mr Hegseth's) candour'. But while the ministers were 'cheered' by the US' commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, they were also keen to see how this would translate into tangible action. On the Chinese Defence Minister's absence at this year's forum, Mr Chan said most, if not all, ministers at the roundtable would have hoped for the presence of the Chinese delegation. This is because participation in the forum has continued to grow, and many countries find it a useful platform to exchange views, he added. For the first time since 2019, China sent a delegation not led by its defence minister, which meant it could not hold bilateral meetings at the ministerial level with other countries, such as the US. The Shangri-La Dialogue allows countries to have side meetings with one another, which helps minimise chances of miscalculation or misreading another country's intentions, said Mr Chan. 'I encourage all my fellow counterparts, all my fellow defence ministers, that notwithstanding China's absence, we should continue to reach out to China,' he said. 'And I'm sure China, in its own time, will also want to reach out to the rest of the world... so that we minimise the chances of misunderstanding.' To a question by a Chinese media outlet that mentioned Singapore's 'balancing act' between China and the US, Mr Chan said that is not the Republic's approach. 'Singapore is not trying to balance anybody, and we are also not the interlocutor (between other countries),' he said. Instead, Mr Chan said it sees itself as an open and inclusive platform that allows people to come together for frank and honest conversations. 'Where it's appreciated, we will also share with our partners our perspectives, our interpretations, and likewise, we appreciate our partners sharing with us their perspectives and their interpretations of events,' he added. Mr Chan said one point that came up during the lunch was the importance of trust, without which it would be difficult for countries to work together on matters of defence. Building trust has to be done at multiple levels: from those in high political office meeting and talking to one another, to soldiers, airmen and sailors having the opportunity to train together and understand one another's concerns, he said. The more such opportunities exist, the greater the chances that the next generation will work together to overcome new challenges, and Singapore will play its part, he added. 'We will always be an open and inclusive platform for people to come together and exchange notes, to have frank conversations with one another,' he said. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
