Malaysia and Norway have fallen into a diplomatic dispute this month since the latter revoked export approvals for certain technologies.

The plenary session at the Shangri-La Dialogue focused on how security partnerships are adapting in an increasingly fragmented global landscape.

"Think about it. There's 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'?," said Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. 

The ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement is targeted to be signed at the 47th ASEAN Summit later this year.

Recent moves by the Malaysian authorities point to a more restrictive climate for LGBTQ people in the country, analysts say, and this could be due to political competition as well as the visibility of some events.

President José Ramos-Horta also called on the Southeast Asian grouping to have the “audacity to declare the South China Sea a zone of peace” and touched on the Myanmar crisis in a special address at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30.

A total of five people have now been rescued, while two remain missing.

The Pentagon chief, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, said stronger, more self-reliant allies are key to deterrence.

Bangkok's creative energy is in overdrive. The new Voco Bangkok Surawong puts you right in the middle of it.

His address comes as global tensions remain elevated, with ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Europe.

Beijing is taking steps to stabilise leadership at the National Financial Regulatory Administration after former head Li Yunze was demoted in April due to what was treated as a suspected disciplinary violation.

New Zealand could move faster towards its target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence if security conditions warrant it, Defence Minister Chris Penk tells CNA.

According to the court, Liu Yingcheng, who as abbot went by the name Shi Yongxin, embezzled assets worth more than 131 million yuan (US$19.4 million) from 2003 to 2025.

The Vietnamese leader spoke of the challenges facing the world, including the erosion of international rules and law, a crisis in development models characterised by slowing growth and climate change, and a crisis of trust among nations.

The Union of Security Employees said that it stood firmly behind the officers, who had been placed in an "incredibly challenging operational environment".