The 17th Shangri-La Dialogue was held in Singapore on June 1-3, with the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, regional and non-traditional security challenges, and China's role in the Asia-Pacific region, widely discussed at the three-day event. The following is an edited excerpt of a Xinhua News Agency report on the event:

"China advocates common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, takes win-win cooperation as the core of new international relations based on partnerships instead of alliances, and strives to pursue a new path of security, which is built by all, shared by all, beneficial for all and safeguarded by all," said He Lei, Vice President of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the head of the Chinese delegation to the 17th Shangri-La Dialogue.

Korean denuclearization

The Korean nuclear issue has made positive progress recently. U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 1 that he would meet with the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.

"This time is different and North Korea has a new leader now. I believe that North Korea is looking to change the course of history and taking decisive action toward that," said South Korean Defense Minister Song Young Moo, expressing his belief that the efforts made by the leaders of the two countries will mark the start of a new era.

"In the short term, a big challenge for Asia-Pacific security is the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, and even if it is managed, coping with that would be a big long-term challenge," said Tim Huxley, Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia, the organizer of the conference in Singapore.

"The DPRK promised to discontinue its nuclear tests before reaching any agreement with the United States, laying the foundation for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said Chen Gang, Assistant Director of Policy Research at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore.

China is committed to facilitating peace talks and will only play a positive role, Chen said.

Non-traditional threats

Besides traditional international security issues, terrorism, separatism, and online security were also in focus at the conference. Most participants agreed that countries should team up to fight non-traditional security threats.

Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu called upon countries to be more vigilant and focus on unity by "enlarging our similarities and minimizing differences" to anticipate the evolution of real threats such as "terrorism and radicalism, separatism and armed rebellion, natural and environmental disasters, [and] border area disputes."

The above mentioned threats are not limited by national boundaries, are unpredictable in their occurrence, and random in their choice of victims, he said.

"All countries must coordinate their national instruments of law enforcement, diplomacy, economy, development policy and the military, and then apply a well-tailored and targeted mix of measures," said German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen.

"Internationally we need to cooperate even more closely in our respective regional organizations and alliances. When poverty grows radicalization, it is education, human security and jobs which foster reconciliation, stability and peace," she said.

China's positive role

Representatives at the conference also discussed China's role in the Asia-Pacific, stressing that China has contributed to peace and stability in the region.

China has offered positive views on regional economic integration, and has suggested new security concepts according to the Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment 2018, a report issued by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"No other country's relationship with India has as many layers as our relations with China," with the two countries having displayed "maturity and wisdom" in managing issues and ensuring a peaceful border, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his keynote speech at the conference.

Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together in trust and confidence, sensitive to each other's interests, he said.

"We should also acknowledge that a prosperous China, constructively engaged in global affairs, is a good thing. It is not possible to address global challenges such as climate change without China's involvement," Australian Minister for Defense Marise Payne said at the conference.

In practice, new comprehensive security concepts proposed by China are replacing zero-sum games in dealing with international relations, said Oh Ei Sun, a special adviser for international affairs at Malaysia's Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute.

China's policy for Asia-Pacific security cooperation talks about the sustainability of the security order and building new foreign relations—this is different from the zero-sum and Cold-War mentality, said Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Director General of the Institute of National Security Studies in Sri Lanka.

Copyedited by Laurence Coulton

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