March 8, 2024 |
SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP

 

By API Desk | Date 03-08-2024

 

Singapore to acquire eight F-35 fighters

Singapore’s defense minister said that the island state plans to acquire eight more F-35 fighters to upgrade its air force fleet, retiring its old F16s.

Speaking at the parliament, Ng Eng Hen said the defense ministry will spend $15 billion or $20.2 billion Singapore dollars next year to acquire the new units, which are scheduled to be delivered by 2030. The acquisition would bring to 20 the F35 fighters in its fleet.

Singapore, currently the most advanced military in the region, is strengthening its defense posture as tensions grow in the region due to big power competition and conflicting claims in the South China Sea.

Last year, Singapore said it would exercise an option to acquire F-35s to add to the existing fleet of four, allowing the retirement of its aging F-16s.

 

 

Australia promises military aid to ASEAN

Australia has promised to set aside $186 million for maritime security projects to help Southeast Asian countries deal with rising security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, its foreign minister said during the 50th Australia-ASEAN commemorative summit in Melbourne.  

“We face destabilizing, provocative, and coercive actions, including unsafe conduct at sea and in the air,” Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong said, without naming China as the source of regional apprehensions. 

“What happens in the South China Sea, in the Taiwan Strait, in the Mekong subregion, across the Indo-Pacific, affects us all.”

Last year, Australia and the Philippines held their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea as the Philippines increased its efforts to counter what it describes as China’s “aggressive activities” in the South China Sea.

 

 

China increases presence of militia ships in the South China Sea

China has increased the deployment of militia vessels by 35 percent last year in the disputed South China Sea, a United States-based think tank said, as Beijing continued to assert its claims in the area.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), citing its report based on satellite data, said an average of 195 Chinese militia vessels were deployed around nine features in the disputed waters on any given day in 2023.

The Washington-based think tank said the increase of militia vessels from “Qiong Sasha Yu” that operates out of Hainan was notably seen around Mischief Reef, with more than 180 vessels last year.

AMTI also identified Hughes Reef and Julian Felipe Reef, also known as Whitsun, as having the largest consistent militia vessel presence. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, where $3 trillion worth of seaborne goods passes annually. 

 

Prabowo promises a smooth transition after election

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, the presumed winner of last month’s elections, has promised a “very smooth” transfer of power later, opening the door to privatizing state-run firms while keeping the government’s control of key economic sectors.

Prabowo, who spoke at an investment forum, said while the state would continue to regulate and maintain decision-making in strategic areas in the country, the private sector should be allowed to thrive and take the leading role.

Government-owned companies in sectors such as banking, telecommunication, construction, and mining currently play a dominant role in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Prabowo also promised to continue the policies of incumbent Joko Widodo, who has overseen a big push to modernize infrastructure. He also planned to improve tax ratios by widening the tax base, not necessarily by raising taxes.