Clement Tan

3 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Clement Tan

(From left) US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth with Australia’s Deputy PM and Minister of Defence Richard Marles, Japan’s Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani and Philippines’ Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jr following their multilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 31. PHOTO: EPA-EFESINGAPORE - It may have been the namesake of the fictional paradise in British author James Hilton’s Lost Horizon, but the Shangri-La Dialogue was anything but.

3 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Clement Tan

SINGAPORE -- The US expects Asian countries to increase their defence spending to match levels that Washington expects of European allies, since they bear the brunt of the threat of China and North Korea in their backyards. That was the message that US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth brought on May 31 to the leading annual forum of global security and defence leaders in the Asia Pacific at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue.

3 weeks ago | straitstimes.com | Clement Tan

SINGAPORE - French President Emmanuel Macron urged Asia and Europe to work together in a new coalition based on common principles to push back against the inevitability of being caught between global superpowers. Singling out the China-US rivalry as the biggest risk confronting the world, the French leader said he wants to be able to cooperate with the US at the same time as compete with but not confront China – while adopting a “demanding approach” that puts France’s interests first.

1 month ago | straitstimes.com | Clement Tan

SINGAPORE – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is scheduled to visit Singapore on May 20 in his first international trip after winning a second term in office at the recent elections Down Under. Singapore will be the last leg on Mr Albanese’s week-long trip. He will first visit Indonesia from May 14 to 16, before proceeding to the Vatican City to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV on May 18.

1 month ago | straitstimes.com | Clement Tan

LONDON – Writing on Truth Social, his preferred social media platform, US President Donald Trump claimed it was a “great honour” that Britain became the first country to sign a new trade deal since he announced sweeping global tariffs on most countries. Mr Trump also boasted that the deal with the United Kingdom was “full and comprehensive”. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was equally happy; he branded May 8 – the date when the agreement was concluded – a “fantastic, historic day”.