Singapore, China step-up defence cooperation
Singapore and China signed an enhanced Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation (ADESC) on 20 October, signalling a step-up in defence cooperation between the two countries.
Singapore’s Minister for Defence, Ng Eng Hen, and Chinese State Councillor and Minister of National Defense, Wei Fenghe, signed the enhanced agreement at the 7th International Military Sports Council Military World Games in Wuhan.
First signed in 2008, the ADESC formalises activities between the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore armed forces, and the People's Liberation Army; including port calls, bilateral exercises, mutual visits, and cross-attendance of courses.
Under the enhanced ADESC, bilateral defence cooperation between Singapore and China will be increased significantly to include the establishment of a regular Singapore-China Defence Ministers' Dialogue, a Visiting Forces Agreement for troops participating in bilateral exercises, a mutual logistics support arrangement and a bilateral hotline.
Both countries will also conduct more regular academic exchanges among military academies and think-tanks. On enhancing cooperation on multilateral platforms, both sides are also committed to maintaining high-level attendance at multilateral conferences and dialogues such as the Shangri-La Dialogue and the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Israel defence ministry pushes ambitious spending plans for tanks, drones and KC-46 aircraft]()
Israel defence ministry pushes ambitious spending plans for tanks, drones and KC-46 aircraft
The procurement and acceleration production plans – some of which still await approval – across the air and land domains will aim to strengthen the operational needs of the Israel Defense Forces.
-
![US reforms its defence acquisition system to focus on commercial capabilities]()
US reforms its defence acquisition system to focus on commercial capabilities
This shift is planned to accelerate the procurement and fielding of capabilities. As part of this strategy, the US also intends modernise its regulations in an attempt to change its bureaucratic and risk-averse culture.
-
![Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre concludes after a series of firsts]()
Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre concludes after a series of firsts
More than 40,000 military personnel from 19 participating nations took part in the 11th iteration of the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre multi-domain event which was held across Australia and in Papua New Guinea.
-
![US Africa Command targets logistic solutions]()
US Africa Command targets logistic solutions
AFRICOM is seeking IT systems and supply chain management solutions to enhance interoperability and standardise logistical processes in its area of responsibility.
-
![Rheinmetall sales up by almost a quarter on wave of German spending]()
Rheinmetall sales up by almost a quarter on wave of German spending
Germany’s Rheinmetall released its 1H 2025 results on 7 August, continuing the strong growth of recent years. A particular highlight of the result’s presentation was the Skyranger air defence system for which the company is predicting sales of about US$8.2 billion from the German Government before the end of the year.
-
![Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave]()
Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave
Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.
