US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and ASEAN representatives to Shangri-La dialogue (Photo: epa) Singapore (VNA) - US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had a meeting with representatives from ASEAN countries on June 4 in Singapore, on the sidelines of the 16th Shangri-La Dialogue.
According to Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Duc Hai, Director of the National Defence Strategy Institute and head of the Vietnamese delegation to the dialogue, ASEAN valued the role of the US in the region.
The discussion saw member countries of the bloc talking about their respective domestic challenges and suggesting measures to strengthen cooperation with the US for regional peace and security.
ASEAN nations expected the US to increase its commitments to the bloc, particularly in the implementation of cooperation mechanism within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Minister’s Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
They mentioned new trade cooperation forms after the Trump administration decided to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The US side replied that there would be more cooperation initiatives to come under further discussions and studies from parties involved.
Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the annual Asia security summit, known as Shangri-La Dialogue, took place from June 2 to 4.
The dialogue was divided into five sessions, focusing on the US and Asia-Pacific security, maintenance of rules-based regional order, new challenges for crisis management in Asia-Pacific, building a common ground on regional security, threats to the global and regional security.-VNA
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