Strategic Allies US and Singapore Aggravate Beijing

On 7 December,US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen met at the Pentagon,where they signed an enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement,or DCA.It provides for an expanded defence relationship between the two countries,the Pentagon said.Singapore already provides logistical support for US military aircraft and ships.A small number of US military personnel conduct logistics and planning activities in Singapore for US ships and aircraft in the region.
Singapore agrees that the US presence in the region is critical for peace,prosperity and stability in the Asia Pacific,as expressed in the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding and 2005 DCA the two nations signed.The enhanced DCA calls for continued cooperation in the military,policy,strategic and technology spheres,as well as in the new areas of humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR),cyber defence,biosecurity and public communications.It also introduces new high-level dialogues between the defence establishments of the two countries.*
Specifically,the defence relationship involves the US rotationally deploying US Navy littoral combat ships to Singapore.The USS Fort Worth was deployed there in December 2014.The next LCS will be deployed to Singapore in 2016 as the US ramps up to deploying four LCSs coterminously in the APAC region.
The US has just made the inaugural deployment of a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft to Singapore,which runs from 7-14 December,in accordance with the 1990 and 2005 bilateral defence agreements.Further deployments of the P-8A could be expected,a US defence official said.The deployments are to promote greater interoperability with regional forces through participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises,while providing timely support for regional HADR and maritime security efforts.
Besides these deployments of ships and aircraft,the US and Singapore air forces conduct joint exercises,personnel exchanges and cross-attendance of courses.Exercise Tiger Balm between the Singapore and US armies,as well as Exercise Commando Sling between the two air forces,which has grown in scale and complexity since its inaugural iteration in 1990,are concrete examples of such cooperation,as are the annual bilateral Cooperation Afloat and Training (CART) naval exercises.
Singapore and the US have served together in construction and stability operations in Afghanistan and Iraq,as well as in counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and in the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve.APAC countries must work together to counter transnational threats such as terrorism,maritime security and natural disasters,Dr.Ng and Dr.Carter agreed.*
China expressed concern about the enhanced defence cooperation between the US and Singapore.The Chinese Defence Ministry said we are paying close attention as to how the relevant situation develops and hope bilateral defence cooperation between the relevant countries is beneficial to regional peace and stability,and not the opposite.The Chinese Foreign Ministry said more bluntly that the P-8A's presence in Singapore was aimed at militarising the region,which does not conform to the common and long-term interests among the regional countries.
In May,the Chinese PLA Navy shrilly and repeatedly warned a US Navy P-8A that was flying near China's artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea,which China claims almost all of for itself,contrary to the views of the US and several Southeast Asian nations.The P8-A is also stationed in Japan and the Philippines.