SINGAPORE, May 29 — The world is beset with multiple risks and uncertainty that countries must confront squarely, said Vietnamese President Tô Lâm while inaugurating Asia's premier defence forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue, today.
The challenges facing the world included an erosion of international rules and law, a crisis of development models, including slowing growth and climate change, and a crisis of trust among nations.
"The three crises confronting our world today are not inevitable realities that we are bound to accept," Lâm said, calling for reinforcing international law, setting up inclusive and sustainable growth drivers, and initiating dialogue and transparency.
The free-wheeling Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual event in Singapore which runs until Sunday (May 31), draws a mix of defence ministers, generals, intelligence chiefs, diplomats, analysts and weapons makers.
United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and counterparts from Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and other nations were in the audience. A notable absentee was China's Dong Jun, who skipped the event for the second year running.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said China's low-key presence at the meeting — Beijing has sent only experts and scholars from the People's Liberation Army — was a lost opportunity to engage with countries from around the world.
Lâm's keynote speech at the dialogue is one of the most high-profile events from a leader of the usually reticent nation.
Installed as President last month in addition to his role as Communist Party general secretary, he is the most powerful Vietnamese leader in decades, and his joint mandate allows him to play a more prominent diplomatic role.
