“China appears to be expanding its missile forces, allowing it to reach targets in many areas of the world while also expanding its missile capabilities within this region,” he said in the speech to a conference hosted annually by the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
The fourth IISS Asia Security Conference, also known as Shangri-la Dialogue, concluded here on Sunday after two-day discussion of major regional security issues.
Defense ministers attending the meeting agreed that the dialogue provided them with a platform for exchanging useful ideas to deal with some of the regional security challenges, said a statement by Singapore's Defense Ministry on Sunday.
The ministers hoped that they would be able to interact with ministers of those countries that could not be represented at the ministerial level this year.
During their second private luncheon hosted by Singapore Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean, the ministers also reached a consensus that practical forms of cooperation need to be forged to maintain regional maritime security.
In addition, defense ministers of the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA) discussed practical measures for further cooperation.
On Sunday, Teo had separate meetings with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak, Japanese Minister of State for Defense Yoshinori Ohno and Ministerfor Defense Tserenkhuu Sharavdorj of Mongolia.
Organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the three-day security conference attracted more than 200 participants from over 20 countries and regions from Asia Pacific, North America and Europe.
The annual event, which opened on June 3, this year, has been held in Singapore's Shangri-la hotel since 2002.
