MALAYSIA has further strengthened its position in regional and global security affairs through active participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026, held in Singapore from 29 to 31 May, as the country expanded defence cooperation and deepened strategic engagement with multiple international partners.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who led the Malaysian delegation to the forum organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said the country recorded several key achievements, including enhanced defence relations with more than 10 partner nations.
He said Malaysia also participated in a joint initiative on undersea infrastructure security involving 16 countries, while simultaneously exploring potential defence industry collaborations aimed at strengthening national defence capabilities and boosting the domestic defence ecosystem.
“This conference serves as an important platform to strengthen defence cooperation, enhance the sharing of strategic information and improve coordination in addressing increasingly complex regional and global security challenges,” he said in a statement.
Throughout the conference, Khaled held a series of bilateral meetings with defence counterparts and senior officials from the United States, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, the Czech Republic, Qatar, Singapore and Thailand.
Discussions focused on strengthening defence cooperation, expanding strategic information sharing, including Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), and enhancing collective responses to contemporary security challenges.
Malaysia also leveraged the platform to explore defence industry cooperation opportunities through engagement with Embraer Defense & Security, focusing on capability development, technology transfer and strengthening the local defence industrial ecosystem.
A key milestone during the conference was Malaysia’s participation in the launch of the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges (GUIDE) alongside 16 other nations, reflecting growing international concern over the protection of critical subsea infrastructure vital to economic stability and global connectivity.
Delivering a plenary address, Khaled stressed Malaysia’s position on the need for responsible management of regional tensions and strict adherence to international law.
“For several decades, the international community has been reassured that international law, multilateralism and agreements between states must be respected regardless of a country’s size or power,” he said.
“However, today, various agreements, humanitarian principles and international commitments are increasingly being set aside or selectively interpreted when they no longer align with certain geopolitical interests.”
“As a result, trust is no longer universal but conditional, selective and increasingly transactional,” he added during the session titled Managing Regional Tensions amid Global Competition.
He also expressed regret over Norway’s decision to cancel the export of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) system allocated to Malaysia, saying the move raised broader concerns about the reliability of international agreements and strategic partnerships.
The Defence Minister further warned that Southeast Asia is facing mounting pressure from intensifying geopolitical competition, geo-economic fragmentation, technological rivalry and various forms of strategic coercion.
He said regional states were increasingly being pressured to take sides or adjust their strategic positions in line with the interests of major powers.
“ASEAN is not built on coercion, domination or transactional politics. ASEAN is built on dialogue, consensus, mutual respect and shared responsibility in ensuring regional stability,” he said.
“If the principle of ASEAN centrality is compromised, regionalism in Southeast Asia will lose its meaning and purpose,” he added.
Khaled also called on middle powers and Global Majority countries to play a more active role in restoring rationality, predictability and balance in international affairs.
Malaysia’s participation at Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 underscores its continued commitment to dialogue-based conflict resolution, defence diplomacy and multilateral cooperation in safeguarding global peace.
The approach aligns with the third pillar of the National Defence Strategy, which emphasises credible partnerships as a cornerstone of preserving sovereignty and maintaining regional stability. - June 1, 2026
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