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The Shangri-La Dialogue, a gathering of top military leaders, diplomats and weapons makers from around the world scheduled to take place in Singapore next month, has been canceled due to the worsening Covid-19 situation.
This is the second major international event canceled in the city-state this year as Singapore battles to contain an increasing number of Covid-19 infections in recent weeks. The World Economic Forum on Monday said it was canceling the event slated to happen in Singapore in August as the pandemic continues to spread unabated around the world.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was among the top defense ministers confirmed to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue that was supposed to take place in Singapore from June 4-5. The confirmed list of attendees also include senior officials and corporate leaders from Asia, North America, the Middle East and Europe, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), the event’s organizer.
“The global Covid-19 situation has recently deteriorated, in part because of the rise of infectious new Covid variants,” IISS said in a statement late Thursday. “In Singapore there has been a rise in local cases, recently introduced new restrictions, and the prospect of further tightening cannot be ruled out-all of which creates uncertainty. Taken together these various factors mean that holding an in-person Shangri-La Dialogue this year has become unviable.”
As the number of cases continued to rise, Singapore implemented more stringent social distancing measures last weekend, and delayed the launch of a much-anticipated air travel bubble with Hong Kong for a second time. On Thursday, the government reported 41 new cases, including 27 infections in the community.
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Singapore’s Ministry of Defense said it supports IISS’ decision to cancel the Shangri-La Dialogue this year.
“Although regretful, it is the responsible course, with the health and safety of the local community and participants as the foremost consideration,” the ministry said in a statement on its website. “The cancellation in no way reflects any reduced commitment to dialogue and engagement to ensure peace and stability in Asia and beyond.”
