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"Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin expressed concerns over geopolitical pressure on smaller states, warning against double standards in the international system during the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday. "Countries in this region are being pressured directly or indirectly to choose sides and recalibrate long-standing strategic positions according to the interests of some, but ASEAN was never built upon coercion," bin Nordin asserted. He said Malaysia had also faced setbacks in defence cooperation, citing Norway's cancellation of a missile system export deal, which he argued reflected wider weaknesses in global trust and consistency in international agreements. "When developing nations violate an agreement, they face condemnation and pressure, but when powerful countries or their allies do the same, the international response becomes conspicuously muted," the defence minister added. "Norway's action has created more than just a bilateral contract dispute. Institutions such as the United Nations [...] are becoming increasingly weakened in the face of geopolitical rivalry," he continued. For his part, Japan's Defence Minister Koizumi Shinjiro rejected claims of 'new militarism,' stressing that Tokyo's defence build-up is transparent and driven by changing regional security realities. "There is a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan has neither of such weapons, and yet, Japan is labelled new militarism. Isn't it strange?" The defence minister asked. "Japan will steadily build up its defence capabilities and make continuous updates with a high degree of transparency - AI, unmanned systems, cyber, space," he added. Koizumi noted that Japan keeps its 'door open to talks' with Beijing and other regional actors, stressing that communication remains essential for stability in the Indo-Pacific. Widely recognised as Asia's premier defence and security summit, this year's IISS Shangri-La Dialogue arrives at a critical geopolitical juncture, bringing together government figures, military chiefs and security experts to discuss a range of security issues in the Indo-Pacific. It will run in Singapore from May 29-31."
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