Key Takeaways from Shangri-La Dialogue 2023
The Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s leading security summit, takes place in Singapore since its inception in 2002. It has been organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), think tank based in London. The name of the forum derives from Shangri-La Hotel of Singapore, where it takes place every year. The number of countries that participates in the summit has been increasing over the years.
The Keynote address for this year’s conference was given by the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese where he highlighted the significance of the conference to encourage frank and valuable discussions on security and peace and that this responsibility is not possible to be taken alone. He also highlighted the challenges of a multipolar world and portrayed Australia’s position on the US-China Cold War as that of a collaborate of trade and applauded Biden’s decision to open dialogue with China. He also stated that Bilateral Relations are vital and sees the presence of multinational platforms such as ASEAN and PIF as crucial to the multipolar world.
The subjects of these panel discussions ranged from Impact of Cyberwarfare and Nuclear energy towards security to the role of US, ASEAN and ASIAN-PACIFIC Nations in the realm of regional security. The panel of experts shared their insights in engaging discussions and interacted with the audience through a question answer session at the conclusion of each session.
The First Plenary Session on “United States’ leadership In the Indo-Pacific" saw the US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd J Justin III, sharing the US vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific within a world of rules and rights. As per his speech, the vision contained some key principles such as respect for sovereignty, human rights and international law, free flow of commerce and ideas, transparency and openness and resolution of disputes though peaceful dialogue over conflict.
He emphasised upon the concept of “The Power of Partnership” where US prioritises on forging new friendships and deepening old alliances, he continued to elaborate upon the new alliances formed with the Philippines, South Korea, UK, Japan, India and Australia. He also took a jab towards Russia for the Invasion of Ukraine and called the event as a case study for the dangers of disorder and chaos and called for the Indo-Pacific nations to cast their votes for peace and prosperity.
His talk also covered the recent developments in military technology and military drills as well as talked about the future actions that the US is taking to engage itself in the Indo-Pacific such as the deployment of the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment by 2025, development of new technologies with several countries as well as conduction of two military exercises in the near future.
He also talked about the active initiatives taken by the US such as the “The Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness” under QUAD and “US Coast Guard’s Ship Rider programme.” in the Pacific. He commented upon the situations involving Taiwan and the South China Sea. On Taiwan, he clarified that the US would continue to commit in maintaining the status quo in respect to the “Taiwan Relations Act” and the “One China Policy” and will oppose any unilateral changes towards the status quo.
In the comments towards South China Sea, He called out China’s attempts on risky intercepts with the American and its allies’ aircrafts and stated that they will defend themselves against coercion and bullying in the international airspace.
At the US-China equation by the end of the speech, the leader called for a dialogue between US and China to bolster peace and stability in the region as well as prevent any misunderstandings and miscalculations which could lead to a future conflict.
Another interesting session of this conference was the Fifth Plenary Session on the topic, “China’s New Security initiatives” by General Li Shang-Fu, China’s Minister of Defence. He started his speech with a reference to the city of Shangri-La in China as well as the word being synonymous with utopia. He talked about President Xi Jinping’s proposal of GSI or Global Security Initiative which is the counter of US’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific".
In his speech, he highlighted the features of GSI as promotion of common comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, dialogue over confrontation and partnership over alliances. He also took subtle takes towards the US in his speech which was spotlighted with the usage of cleverly crafted sentences. The sentences on hegemony, wilful interference, practise of exceptionalism and prevention of bloc formation showed China’s critique of the current world order.
He stated that China is committed to uphold peace in the global system by carrying out a constructive role in conflicts pertaining to the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula though highlighting China’s involvement in Afghanistan, Ukraine and the Iran-Saudi Issue. At the same time, he called out the western countries for setting up military bases. He talked about the success of China’s modernisation and economic growth though the trade relationship in the Asia-Pacific via ASEAN and BRI. He added that China will continue to pursue mutually beneficial strategies to provide development opportunities to other nations.
The speech also contained details related to the participation in various forums and military exercises as well as the comments on the Taiwan and South China Sea issues. He called out the interference of external forces and stated that China will be reunified and resolved to make national rejuvenation as a reality. On South China Sea, he talked upon the China-ASEAN relationship as close knit and pushed for an effective implementation of the “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC)”.
The speech concluded with a hope for a peaceful cooperation between the US and China despite a period of all time low relations on the lines of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win–win cooperation.
A notable observation in the stances of US and China is the usage of the terminologies in the earlier mentioned speeches, with the US defence leader with “Indo-Pacific” and his Chinese counterpart using “Asia-Pacific”.
Apart from the engaging sessions in the three-day event, several bilateral talks take place which are seen in a strategic lens.
According to several sources, senior officials from around forty intelligence agencies held a secret meeting during the conference. The source also disclosed that the Singapore Government organised such meetings at a separate venue for several years and the meetings went unreported. Some of the participants of this year’s meeting included Avril Haines, US’s Director of Intelligence and Samant Goel, who is the head of RAW, the Indian Agency for Intelligence. China was also reported to participate in these meetings despite the tensions with US and India currently.
One of the sources quoted upon the existence of an unspoken code among intelligence agencies in which they engage when formal and open diplomacy is comparatively more challenges and forms like the Shangri-La conference help in promotion of such talks
The spokesperson from the Singaporean Defence Ministry added that the ministry may help in facilitating bilateral or multilateral meetings at the sidelines of the conference which are beneficial for the participating nations.
The occurrence of the bilateral and multilateral talks during the sidelines of the events is common during the annual conference. This year was no different as a meeting between Yasukazu Hamada and Lee Jong-Sup, the defence ministers of Japan and South Korea respectively. The meeting took place to speed up the talks over the pending issues which were conducted in April of this year. The two minsters addressed to the media by condemning the spy satellite launch by North Korea and added that the two countries are working on measures for a greater bilateral defence partnership.
A talk between the Acting Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrance Wong and China’s Defence Minister, Li Shangfu also took place on the sidelines of the conference. The two leaders reaffirmed the longstanding bilateral defence relationship as well as welcomed the progress in bilateral defence cooperation under the 2019 enhanced Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation (ADESC). The two leaders also exchanged views on global and regional security developments at the meeting.
Singapore’s Minister of Defence, Ng Eng He, also interacted with multiple officials throughout the series of the conference, which included the Defence Ministers from Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Qatar, Sweden, Ukraine and Britain. He also engaged with the US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin and the South-East Asian Defence Miniters and their representatives on the sidelines of the conference.
In conclusion, the three-day forum has seen a lot of action not only just in official meetings but also in the closed or back-channel meetings where several Asian nations and how the US and China have taken their stances on their outlook towards the Indo-Pacific. For India, it is a sign to increase her engagement with her counterparts in the region in not only the economic realm but also for security partnerships in order to prevent any conflicts in the foreseeable future.
Resources : -
· IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2023 - Asia’s premier defence summit. (n.d.). IISS. https://www.iiss.org/events/shangri-la-dialogue/shangri-la-dialogue-2023/
· Kok, X., Gopalakrishnan, R., & Torode, G. (2023, June 4). Exclusive: World’s spy chiefs meet in secret conclave in Singapore. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/worlds-spy-chiefs-meet-secret-conclave-singapore-2023-06-04/
· R. (2023, June 4). Japan, South Korea to speed up talks over pending military issues. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/japan-south-korea-speed-up-talks-over-pending-military-issues-2023-06-04/
· Defence chiefs, including for the US and China, call on S’pore leaders ahead of 20th Shangri-La Dialogue. (2023, June 2). Defence Chiefs, Including for the US and China, Call on S’pore Leaders Ahead of 20th Shangri-La Dialogue | the Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/us-china-defence-chiefs-call-on-s-pore-leaders-ahead-of-20th-shangri-la-dialogue
· International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). (2023, June). Keynote Address - 20TH ASIA SECURITY SUMMIT. from https://www.iiss.org/globalassets/media-library---content--migration/files/shangri-la-dialogue/2023/final-transcripts/keynote-address/revised/anthony-albanese-prime-minister-australia---as-delivered_sld23.pdf
· International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) . (n.d.). FIRST PLENARY SESSION . from https://www.iiss.org/globalassets/media-library---content--migration/files/shangri-la-dialogue/2023/final-transcripts/p-1/lloyd-j-austin-iii-secretary-of-defense-us---as-delivered_sld23.pdf
· International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). (2023, June). FIFTH PLENARY SESSION. Retrieved June 26, 2023, from https://www.iiss.org/globalassets/media-library---content--migration/files/shangri-la-dialogue/2023/final-transcripts/p-5/general-li-shangfu-state-councilor-minister-of-national-defense-china---as-delivered.pdf
Pic Courtesy-Edwin Andrade at unsplash.com
(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)
