Deputy PM to attend Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

Geopolitics & Policy

31 May 2024

By: Robert Dougherty

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Honourable Richard Marles MP, attended the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on 2-4 June 2023. Photo: Jay Cronan

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles will meet with key international leaders at the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this week, as China announces new military-related trade restrictions.

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Convened by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Shangri-La Dialogue represents a major opportunity for the minister to collaborate on key security issues from 31 May to 2 June.

The Shangri-La Dialogue brings together governments and experts to discuss some of the key challenges facing the Indo-Pacific.

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The Deputy Prime Minister will deliver remarks during the third plenary session on “Building Cooperative Security in the Asia Pacific”.

While in Singapore, the Deputy Prime Minister will also participate in the 12th Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) Defence Ministers’ Meeting. The FPDA continues to provide a valuable contribution to regional security by deepening practical collaboration between member nations – Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

“This year’s Shangri-La Dialogue will provide another opportunity for key meetings, particularly with many of my regional counterparts, to discuss opportunities for closer cooperation to ensure our region’s stability and prosperity,” Minister Marles said.

“Investing in Australia’s defence relationships and regional institutions are a priority of this government, and a focus under the National Defence Strategy.

The US Department of Defense has also announced that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will travel to the Indo-Pacific region for the 10th time since taking office and attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

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It’s understood that Austin will also travel to Cambodia for meetings with senior officials following his first trip to the country as Secretary of Defense in November 2022.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, attended by Chinese officials, closely follows new trade restrictions announced by the People’s Republic of China and set to begin on 1 July.

Under those national security restrictions, imposed by China’s Commerce Ministry, export controls will be applied to aircraft and aerospace engines, structural parts, engine manufacturing-related equipment, software and technology.

In addition, restrictions will reportedly be placed on moulds, fixtures, tooling, and processing equipment to make “superplastics” which are bonded with titanium, aluminium and alloys, as well as materials associated with bulletproof vests, inserts, helmets, and plates.

“In order to safeguard national security and interests, and fulfil international obligations such as non-proliferation, with the approval of the State Council and Central Military Commission, it has been decided to implement export controls on the following items,” according to a statement released by the PRC.