Chan Chun Sing, Singapore's Minister for Defence, brought a packed sub-forum to a close with a simple yet powerful message on trust and action, earning warm applause after delivering part of his remarks in Mandarin.
Speaking in a session on emerging security partnerships amid rising distrust and fragmentation, Chan stressed that neither words nor action alone are enough.
"Words without action, nothing is achieved. Action without communication, trust is destroyed," he said. "No action, no communication, everything is impossible. Action and communication, nothing is impossible." He then offered the Chinese version as well.
The minister also urged ASEAN to remember that the real competition is not among its members, but how the region gets its act together to compete with the rest of the world. "The world has enough troubles. If ASEAN just stays out of trouble, we will distinguish ourselves," he said, adding that ASEAN should not be framed as "pro-US or anti-US, nor pro-China or anti-China."
In a dialogue marked by growing distrust and cross-sectoral fault lines, Chan's closing lines served as a reminder that partnership, rooted in both action and communication, can make even the impossible achievable.
Reporter: Guo Zedong
Video: Zeng Xiangxing
