Roundup: Delegates urge concerted efforts for further cooperation at Shangri-La Dialogue

Delegates who participated in the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue here exchanged views on counter-terrorism, cyber security, current situation on the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea as well as other issues related to regional peace and stability, urging concerted efforts for further cooperation.

Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday. Sun elaborated on the new governance model from the defense and military perspective, stressing all countries should stick to the path of peaceful development and abandon the outdated zero-sum mentality.

"The Asia-Pacific countries should refuse the Cold War mentality, deepen and expand security cooperation featuring no-conflict, no-confrontation, no targeting against a third party, mutual benefit and win-win," said Sun.

Vietnam's Deputy Minister of National Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh emphasized that cooperative mechanisms are crucial for trust and confidence building, and it is a must for nations to maneuver their cooperative and competitive processes in the struggle for settling differences and resolving conflict.

He quoted Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh's words, saying "to achieve peace, we must adhere to the principle of equality, non-interference into each other's internal affairs, non-aggression, mutual respect for national sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence".

Meanwhile, Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen stressed the threat of terrorism and called for security forces in Asia-Pacific countries to enhance cooperation, combine resources for operations.

"Collectively, we must work closely together to build up joint responses, and strengthen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts," Ng said.

Inaugurated in 2002, the Shangri-La Dialogue has now become a prestigious platform to discuss security issues among defence ministers, senior security officials, military chiefs, diplomats and executives.

Recalling the history of Shangri-La Dialogue, Huang Jing, professor and director of the Center on Asia and Globalization, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, told Xinhua that the Shangri-La Dialogue not only functions as a platform for communication, but also offers opportunities for the participates to better understand other countries' views or elaborate on their own countries' defense policies.

Huang said the agenda of the Shangri-La Dialogue has changed over the years following the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region and around the globe.

"Starting as small-scale meetings on security issues in the early stage, the Shangri-La Dialogue has developed over the past years and established itself as a crucial gathering with various regional and international topics included," Huang added.

Organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue wrapped up here on Sunday afternoon. This year's Shangri-La Dialogue attracted over 560 delegates from 52 nations and regions, including 32 official delegations. Endit