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SAF and PLA Conduct Bilateral Training Exercise
2 Nov 2014 -- The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are participating in their third bilateral training exercise, COOPERATION 2014, from 2 to 9 November 2014 in Nanjing, China. Brigadier-General Siew Kum Wong, Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations), and Major-General Wang Chunning, Commander of 12th Mixed Group Army, Nanjing Military Region co-officiated at the opening ceremony this morning.
Below, BG Siew (2nd left, foreground) and MG Wang (left, foreground) with the exercise troops.
About 70 personnel each from the SAF and the PLA are taking part in this eight-day exercise which will include professional seminars and a Company-level conventional infantry exercise featuring a live-firing demonstration. The SAF is represented by personnel from the 5th Singapore Infantry Regiment and 3rd Singapore Division. They will participate in the exercise alongside their Chinese counterparts from the PLA 179th Brigade and Nanjing Military Region.
COOPERATION 2014 provides a good platform for personnel of the two armed forces to interact and better understand each other. COOPERATION 2014 also underscores the warm and growing defence relations between both armed forces. Both interact regularly through exchanges of visits, courses, exercises, and port calls.
The meeting between Dr Ng and his counterpart Minister of National Defence General (GEN) Chang Wanquan also reaffirmed both militaries' commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation and delved into the specifics of the high-level exchanges they could have. "We were very keen on specialised areas such as counter-terrorism and maritime exercises, and also increasing collaborations between our military academies," said Dr Ng. He added that as next year will be the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Singapore and China, he invited GEN Chang to visit Singapore. "He said he would very much like to, so I look forward to the visit."
On the significance of the increase in cooperation with China for Singapore's relations with other partners, Dr Ng explained that multilateralism among defence agencies and militaries "is the recognition that relationships are not mutually exclusive". He elaborated: "I think our strong partners, the United States, other ASEAN countries recognise this. And I would also say that they will welcome our increased defence ties with China. In fact, they themselves are seeking closer ties with China." On how Singapore characterises its relations with China in relation to neighbouring countries, Dr Ng emphasised that "our way of defence diplomacy" was "not to over-project our importance, nor demand excessively others' attention". He concluded the interview by observing that our "stronger defence ties is consistent with our overall relationship with China, which has been growing".
On tensions in the South China Sea, Dr Ng said: "The less involved our militaries are the better for all of us. This is not an issue that requires a military solution. It should never require a military solution and in fact, the military should stay as far away as possible from this and allow diplomatic and other aspects of resolution. And I hope that that’s the prevailing attitude among all defence ministers and certainly that's Singapore's position." Besides GEN Chang, Dr Ng also met other Chinese leaders including Vice-President Li Yuanchao and Central Military Commission Vice-Chairman GEN Xu Qiliang during his visit. The visit which began on 8 Nov was part of regular high-level bilateral and defence visits by top leaders of Singapore and China.
Below, Brigadier-General (BG) Siew Kum Wong (4th left, foreground) and Major-General (MG) Wang Chunning (5th left, foreground) co-officiating at the opening ceremony of COOPERATION 2014.Various News Sources said:
2 Nov 2014 -- The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are participating in their third bilateral training exercise, COOPERATION 2014, from 2 to 9 November 2014 in Nanjing, China. Brigadier-General Siew Kum Wong, Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations), and Major-General Wang Chunning, Commander of 12th Mixed Group Army, Nanjing Military Region co-officiated at the opening ceremony this morning.
Below, BG Siew (2nd left, foreground) and MG Wang (left, foreground) with the exercise troops.
About 70 personnel each from the SAF and the PLA are taking part in this eight-day exercise which will include professional seminars and a Company-level conventional infantry exercise featuring a live-firing demonstration. The SAF is represented by personnel from the 5th Singapore Infantry Regiment and 3rd Singapore Division. They will participate in the exercise alongside their Chinese counterparts from the PLA 179th Brigade and Nanjing Military Region.
COOPERATION 2014 provides a good platform for personnel of the two armed forces to interact and better understand each other. COOPERATION 2014 also underscores the warm and growing defence relations between both armed forces. Both interact regularly through exchanges of visits, courses, exercises, and port calls.
Emphasising the significance of the release, Dr Ng said: "It goes beyond the motherhood statements. One, it lays out the principle that we have mutual regard, respect and we try to accommodate each other's security needs for mutual trust. And then two, substantively how we are going to do it through high-level exchanges… "Finally, all of these leading to more exchanges between senior commanders as well as troops." Dr Ng remarked that his trip was very productive for a few reasons. They included the fact that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) went to great lengths to facilitate the visit which covered several major Chinese cities, how the meetings had allowed both sides to share their motivations and goodwill, and the substantive outcome of the Joint Press Release.SAF Officer tops Nanjing Command and Staff Course
The Nanjing Command & Staff Course trains officers to take up senior command and staff appointments. The one year course was also attended by 114 other officers from 60 different countries. Artillery Officer, MAJ Eugene Lim was recently awarded the Excellent Student Officer Award; a first for a foreign student! The award recognises officers who achieved academic excellence and active participation in college activities.
MAJ Eugene shared, “I am honoured to receive the excellent student officer award as this is the first time that the award is given to foreign officers. This award motivates me to continue to strive and achieve greater heights.” "I am grateful that our Army has given me this opportunity to attend this course. This course has been a great learning experience for me. The insights gained from the course have deepened my professional knowledge”. MAJ Eugene also expressed his appreciation to his family for their unconditional support throughout his studies.
The meeting between Dr Ng and his counterpart Minister of National Defence General (GEN) Chang Wanquan also reaffirmed both militaries' commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation and delved into the specifics of the high-level exchanges they could have. "We were very keen on specialised areas such as counter-terrorism and maritime exercises, and also increasing collaborations between our military academies," said Dr Ng. He added that as next year will be the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Singapore and China, he invited GEN Chang to visit Singapore. "He said he would very much like to, so I look forward to the visit."
Below, Dr Ng interacting with SAF troops involved in Ex Cooperation 2014.Joint Press Release by General Chang Wanquan, State Councillor and Minister of National Defence, People's Republic of China and Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence, Republic of Singapore
General Chang Wanquan, State Councillor and Minister of National Defence, People's Republic of China and Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence, Republic of Singapore held talks on 14 November, 2014. Dr Ng is in China for an official visit, during which Dr Ng also witnessed the conduct of the third joint training exercise between the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), codenamed Exercise Cooperation 2014, visited the PLA Navy's North Sea Fleet, and delivered a speech at the PLA National Defence University.
During their meeting, Minister Chang and Minister Ng reaffirmed the two sides' commitment to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation through a Four-Point Consensus.
First, both sides will strengthen the healthy and steady development of their defence relationship based on mutual respect and accommodating each others' security concerns for mutual trust.
Second, both sides will enhance dialogue and mutual understanding through the conduct of regular high-level meetings and strategic consultation.
Third, both sides will promote confidence building and mutual trust by strengthening practical cooperation, such as joint training exercises.
Fourth, both sides will deepen people-to-people ties and friendship by increasing working-level exchanges and dialogues between both militaries.
To enhance military-to-military exchanges, the conduct of joint training exercises codenamed Exercise Cooperation between the PLA Army and the Republic of Singapore Army, will be expanded in subject, scope, and frequency gradually. Further, exchanges between the PLAN and the RSN will be expanded to involve exchanges in specialized fields and joint training. Both sides will engage at the working level in communication and consultation on counter-terrorism cooperation, as well as in establishing new touch points, such as information sharing in areas of mutual interest.
Both sides agreed to enhance communication and coordination, extend mutual support in regional security affairs, and play a positive role in fostering dialogue and practical cooperation amongst regional countries. Both sides expressed confidence that the bilateral defence relationship between China and Singapore would continue to grow, underpinned by mutual benefit and win-win result, with an aim of promoting regional peace and stability.
On the significance of the increase in cooperation with China for Singapore's relations with other partners, Dr Ng explained that multilateralism among defence agencies and militaries "is the recognition that relationships are not mutually exclusive". He elaborated: "I think our strong partners, the United States, other ASEAN countries recognise this. And I would also say that they will welcome our increased defence ties with China. In fact, they themselves are seeking closer ties with China." On how Singapore characterises its relations with China in relation to neighbouring countries, Dr Ng emphasised that "our way of defence diplomacy" was "not to over-project our importance, nor demand excessively others' attention". He concluded the interview by observing that our "stronger defence ties is consistent with our overall relationship with China, which has been growing".
Below, Dr Ng received by Commander Nanjing Military Region General (GEN) Cai Yingting (second from right) upon arrival at Xingli Training Area in Nanjing.<< Calls on Chinese Leaders >>
Paid a courtesy call on Vice-President Li Yuanchao and General Xu Qiliang, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission, who both expressed goodwill and friendship with Singapore and the desire to deepen ties, including our defence relationship. Next year marks 25 years of diplomatic relations with China. We have much to be thankful about. What began with Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Deng Xiaoping has been further strengthened by successive leaders into a mutually respectful and beneficial broad-based relationship with China.
- Ng Eng Hen
On tensions in the South China Sea, Dr Ng said: "The less involved our militaries are the better for all of us. This is not an issue that requires a military solution. It should never require a military solution and in fact, the military should stay as far away as possible from this and allow diplomatic and other aspects of resolution. And I hope that that’s the prevailing attitude among all defence ministers and certainly that's Singapore's position." Besides GEN Chang, Dr Ng also met other Chinese leaders including Vice-President Li Yuanchao and Central Military Commission Vice-Chairman GEN Xu Qiliang during his visit. The visit which began on 8 Nov was part of regular high-level bilateral and defence visits by top leaders of Singapore and China.
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