Defense ministers and military officials from 22 countries, including the United States and Japan, will gather in Singapore this weekend to address security concerns in the region.
A three-day forum organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a leading politico-military think tank based in London, opens Friday evening with a keynote speech by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The fifth in a series since 2002, the Asia security dialogue, better known as the "Shangri-La Dialogue" after the hotel in Singapore where it is held, is the biggest gathering of defense ministers in the region.
(Kyodo) _ Defense ministers and military officials from 22 countries, including the United States and Japan, will gather in Singapore this weekend to address security concerns in the region.
A three-day forum organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a leading politico-military think tank based in London, opens Friday evening with a keynote speech by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The fifth in a series since 2002, the Asia security dialogue, better known as the "Shangri-La Dialogue" after the hotel in Singapore where it is held, is the biggest gathering of defense ministers in the region.
The ministers not only give speeches but also engage in bilateral talks.
Until recently, the dialogue had been touted as the only forum for defense ministers in the region. But that role is being rivaled after the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations launched the first meeting of its defense ministers last month, which the group hopes to expand to an "ASEAN-Plus" defense ministers meeting with the involvement of other countries such as Japan and China.
The dialogue "will feature several opportunities to advance Asia-Pacific defense diplomacy," the IISS said in a statement.
Defense ministers or deputies from about 15 countries are expected to attend the dialogue this time, including U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Japanese Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga, South Korean Defense Minister Yoon Kwang Ung, Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono.
China is sending Tan Qingsheng, deputy director of the Asia Department at the Foreign Ministry.
The forum will address issues such as U.S.-Asia security relations, constructing a security community in the region, global peacekeeping, insurgencies such as those in Iraq and East Timor, and maritime security in the pirate-infested Straits of Malacca, one of the world's busiest waterways.
Rumsfeld will speak on the "United States and Asia's emerging security architecture" at the first session Saturday morning and hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from several Asian countries.
An IISS official said the session will explore ways that the United States and Asia can work together to tackle security concerns in the region in the future.
He will also be closely watched for any comment he may make on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear issues, the global realignment of U.S. forces, terrorism and maritime security.
Nukaga will speak on "deploying forces for international security," focusing on Japan's controversial role in global peacekeeping, at a session Saturday where the South Korean and British defense ministers are also scheduled to speak.
He is also planning to hold bilateral talks with Rumsfeld and his counterparts from Britain, Singapore, Indonesia, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Canada, who are also attending the forum.
The Australian, Malaysian and Indonesian defense ministers will speak at a session on constructing a new security community in the region, where ASEAN's plan for an ASEAN Security Community by 2020 is expected to be discussed.
Australia does not usually see eye to eye with Malaysia and Indonesia on issues of regional security.
Australia had antagonized its Asian neighbors in the past with controversial comments such as Prime Minister John Howard's claim in 2004 that his country has the right to launch pre-emptive strikes on terror targets in Asian countries.
A staunch U.S. ally, Australia has often been seen in the region as a
