Defence minister says complex times call for ‘proper diplomacy’ but has called on China to be transparent about its military buildup
A statement issued later by Singapore’s defence ministry said the meeting had discussed the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while “several ministers exchanged their views on how the situation would affect the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the world”.
But it appears the Shangri-La Dialogue – an annual defence and strategic conference that draws ministers from dozens of countries – provided several opportunities for conversations in wider groups. In an interview broadcast on Sky News on Sunday, Marles confirmed the handshake and said he believed talks with China were possible. “The more complex the times, the more important that there is dialogue and proper diplomacy,” he said.
Marles said Australia did not question the right of any country to modernise its military capabilities, but large-scale military buildups “must be transparent and they must be accompanied by statecraft that reassures” to avoid fuelling an arms race.
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