Asean will not be put in position to pick between world powers: Ng Eng Hen

[SINGAPORE] ASEAN will continue to maintain its centrality, and will not be put in a position to pick among the world powers, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen at the end of the Shangri-La Dialogue, during which the Indo-Pacific emerged as a buzzword.

The term - which has gained a new lease of life under the Trump administration, and places India front and centre compared to the "Asia-Pacific vision" - has drawn flak from Chinese scholars, who accuse it as a US strategy to constrain China's rise.

"I don't think the re-labelling of the region can affect the security positions of countries. It's not so simple," Dr Ng told reporters in a wrap-up interview on Sunday.