Remarks by President Halimah Yacob at the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue Dinner

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Istana Dinner.

This year, as we commemorate the 20^th edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), I am glad to see that it has established itself as the premier defence dialogue in the Asia-Pacific.

The seeds for the SLD were planted in 2001 with Dr John Chipman’s suggestion of a defence and security summit in Asia. Few such platforms existed then, and Singapore was a natural fit for the conference as a longstanding supporter of multilateral defence diplomacy. Dr Chipman pitched the idea to the late Mr S R Nathan, then 6^th President of Singapore, who was supportive. Mr Nathan offered the assistance of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) that he was the founding director of, to help convene the first International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue Asia Security Summit. Today, the IDSS has grown into the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

With the support of the Ministry of Defence, helmed by Dr Tony Tan who is here with us tonight, the inaugural SLD began in 2002 with a modest attendance of 12 Defence Ministers and participants from 22 countries. The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who was Singapore’s Senior Minister then, demonstrated his strong support by delivering the opening remarks at the inaugural dialogue. The speech was titled “The East Asian Strategic Balance after 9/11”. Mr Lee spoke about the two most important security challenges that would confront this region for years to come – the importance of US-China relations and the rise of global terrorism.

Indeed, both challenges remain at the forefront of many governments today. SLD has evolved itself to stay relevant with the most pressing security challenges of the day. Its topics of discussion have ranged from the Malacca Straits Patrol and Eyes-in-the-Sky initiative to counter piracy, stability on the Korean Peninsula, the South China Sea, to now climate change, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The myriad of security challenges that have emerged over the years, underscore a real need for an open and inclusive platform like the SLD. We should not underestimate the threat of militarisation and conflict in the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea where a single mishap or miscalculation could spark a series of reactions that spirals into disaster.

SLD’s stature has grown over time. This year, 48 Ministers, nearly 600 participants, and 41 countries are participating in the dialogue. It has also been the stage for many foreign leaders to set out their vision and agenda for peace and security for the region. For SLD to reach this significant milestone, I congratulate IISS for nurturing and growing the SLD over the years. I also want to thank RSIS for the smooth organisation of the Istana Dinner throughout the past two decades.

Tonight, we come together for the Istana Dinner which provides a more relaxed setting to mingle and interact. I hope you will continue to have meaningful discussions over dinner tonight, and get to know each other better.

Let me close by saying that Singapore is honoured to host the SLD to foster dialogue and friendship among key defence leaders and officials. When countries have a chance to hear each other out, understand different perspectives, and have candid discussions, this builds towards the larger goal of reducing the risk of misunderstandings, miscalculation, and helps to prevent conflict. Ultimately, we all desire peace and stability in our region, without which we cannot hope to uplift our people’s livelihoods or the prospects for future generations.

I wish everyone an enjoyable evening. Thank you.