A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh attended the ongoing Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 3-5.

The dialogue convenes chiefs of defence staff, permanent heads of defence ministries, and intelligence chiefs including 20 defence ministers from the US, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zeland and Singapore and other countries.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)-Asia Executive Director Tim Huxley said sideline meetings held during the dialogue will help countries strengthen mutual understanding and defence cooperation in the region.

The Vietnamese delegation will hold high-level meetings with the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear, Chinese Admiral Sun Jianguo, Deputy Chief, General Staff Department, People’s Liberation Army, Canadian Minister of Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan, British Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon and Italian Minister of Defence Roberte Pinotti and others.

Besides, Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army will also meet with senior defence officers of Japan, the Philippines, the US, and the EU.

Held annually by the IISS, the Shangri-La Dialogue is significant to security in the Asian-Pacific region, allowing regional countries to hold dialogues towards ensuring security and stability in the region.

According to the IISS, subjects to be debated at the 15th dialogue include how to meet Asia's complex security challenges, how to manage military competition in Asia and how to make defence policy in uncertain times.

VOV