Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen spoke at a fireside chat panel during the opening session of the Aspen Security Forum on 17 July 2024 (Singapore Time). The opening night was attended by more than 400 distinguished leaders and key players in the security and defence community, including policy experts, military leaders, and US national security officials.

In his fireside chat panel, which was moderated by Foreign Policy’s Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal, Dr Ng discussed the role of the US and its presence in Asia. He said, “America, which would have been the moving spirit for the globalised world for trade and finance, that would benefit small and large countries, is now changed. We do not know where we will go, and I do not think China is the only reason. And we will have to ask ourselves where will the US be, where will China be? Because the reality now, from the Asian perspective, China is the largest trading partner for almost all countries in Asia. The question is: Can US sustain its presence in Asia solely predicated on military power?” On US-China relations, Dr Ng highlighted that, “The US-China conundrum will decide the fates of all our nations for this decade and the next. America has to decide – the policies of “small yard, high fences”, security alliances – ultimately, its foreign policy towards China ... there are good reasons to believe that if the US can have a positive trajectory with China, it will make for certain greater stability, and certain greater growth. And I believe it is within the powers of American leadership, if not now, maybe later.”

The Aspen Security Forum is a biannual security and foreign policy conference that brings together distinguished leaders and key players in the security and defence community. The Forum has been convened annually in Colorado since 2010. Dr Ng is in the US from 15 to 18 July 2024 (Singapore Time).