Singapore’s defence minister on Friday (Feb 17) warned that war in Asia would be devastating not just for the continent, but for the rest of the world.
Speaking at the Maritime Security Roundtable at the 59th Munich Security Conference, Dr Ng highlighted that world powers have been increasing their military presence in Asia, concluding that “pre-positioning for deterrence is alive and well”.
He cited the formations of strategic groupings like the Quad (United States, India, Australia, Japan) and AUKUS (US, Australia, United Kingdom), the US gaining more access to bases in the Philippines, as well as missile defence drills in South Korea as examples of what China would construe as “preparatory moves”.
Similarly, Beijing has also increased its military presence in the region, said Dr Ng – from patrols in the disputed South China Sea to Chinese jets regularly crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait.
Even so, “the war drums have not started beating audibly”, said Dr Ng.