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.

"As I said, Asia will remain Asia, the South China Sea will be South China Sea, the Straits of Malacca will continue to be there, and daily activity will continue." Asean will remain as is, but will have to adjust, he added, noting how countries at the Shangri-La Dialogue last week vowed to "send mor…