Bangkok, May 31 (EFE).- Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand agreed this Friday to expand their annual military maneuvers in the Indo-Pacific amid rising tensions in the region due to rivalry. Washington and Beijing.
In a statement, ministers and a senior British official, who met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Defense Forum in Singapore, said the changes included F-35 fighter jets from Australia, Poseidon spy planes from New Zealand and the UK military. vessels.
The meeting was attended by Australian Defense Chiefs Richard Marles; From New Zealand, Judith Collins; From Malaysia, Mohamed Khaled Nordin; and from Singapore, Ng Eng Hen, as well as British Director-General of Political Security Paul Wyatt.
The ministers and director-general noted that the security treaty between their countries, born in 1971 to guarantee the security of Malaysia and Singapore, has evolved in recent years to adapt to the “changing security environment”.
In recent years, the Indo-Pacific region has seen increasing militarization by China, as well as cross-alignment between the United States and its allies, including Australia, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
Most Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, try to maintain neutrality in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, although Manila has strengthened ties with the United States to counter its sovereignty disputes with China.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. launched the Shangri-La forum today amid heightened tensions between his country and Beijing over a dispute over several territories in the South China Sea.
Around 550 government representatives, diplomats and defense ministers from more than 40 countries will participate this weekend in the forum, which ends on Sunday and is organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
European diplomatic chief Joseph Borrell will take part in a dialogue roundtable on Saturday, with Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto and others expected to attend. EFE
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