Shangri-La Dialogue 2019: ASEAN mute on international rule breakers
In sharp contrast to China’s bellicose tone at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the voices of most ASEAN and others’ defence ministers were particularly muted when it came to criticising any country that does not play according to the rules-based order.
One particular country is consistently breaking international rules, and that is China. However, it seems that most defence ministers preferred to skirt around the issue, or were ordered not to inflame the situation by their respective governments.
There was also a sense that ASEAN members were attempting to avoid the appearance of taking sides between China and the
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why the NORAD inventory might be the US and Canada’s Achilles’ heel]()
Why the NORAD inventory might be the US and Canada’s Achilles’ heel
Both the US and Canada operate Cold War-era capabilities which cannot defeat today’s and tomorrow’s threats.
-
![Companies’ results boom as countries dig deep to buy missiles and air defence systems]()
Companies’ results boom as countries dig deep to buy missiles and air defence systems
Air defence systems are continuing to appear top of countries’ shopping lists but broadly across different capabilities it is a sellers’ market, as demonstrated by backlogs and double-digit percentage point growth.
-
![Forging strong partnerships for warfighting communications in space (Studio)]()
Forging strong partnerships for warfighting communications in space (Studio)
Mike Moran, Director of US Government Business at Amazon Project Kuiper Government Solutions, highlighted the evolution of space as a critical warfighting domain at the Defence in Space Conference (DISC) 2025, held this week in London.
