PUBLISHED ONMay 31, 2026 4:52 AMBYSyarifah NadhirahCoordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing hosted Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles to a late-night meal at Lau Pa Sat.
Marles, who is also Australia's Minister for Defence, is in Singapore to attend the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD).
In a Facebook video uploaded by Chan on Saturday (May 30), the two leaders were seen clad in casual polo tees for a "late-night" makan at the tourist hotspot on Friday.
"Australians know a good barbecue when they see one. That is why I introduced Richard to our version of it - satay and BBQ chicken wings," wrote Chan.
Their table had a spread of satay, barbecue chicken wings, fried hokkien mee, fried carrot cake, beer and what appears to be sugarcane juice.
"Over the good meal, Richard and I had very fruitful discussions on advancing our defence co-operation, building on the strong progress under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership 2.0 we forged with Australia last year. There is much more we can achieve together. Here's to our continued partnership!"
The original comprehensive strategic partnership, which started in 2015, covered six pillars: economics and trade, defence and foreign affairs, people-to-people, science and innovation, digital economy, and green economy.
The upgraded CSP, dubbed CSP 2.0, sees Singapore and Australia deepen partnerships in existing areas such as security co-operation and economic connectivity, while covering new and emerging areas like cyber, digital, space, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Separately, Chan hosted breakfast on Saturday for the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) Defence Ministers on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The breakfast was attended by Marles, New Zealand Minister of Defence Chris Penk, Malaysia Minister of Defence Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, and the United Kingdom's Director General (Security Policy) Paul Wyatt.
During the breakfast, the ministers reaffirmed their nations' commitment over the past 55 years.
Chan also spoke on Sunday (May 31) at a plenary session at the dialogue, focusing on how security partnerships are adapting to an increasingly fragmented global landscape.
Some 54 minister-level delegates from 44 countries attended the 23rd edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue, held at the Shangri-La Hotel from May 29 to 31.
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syarifahsn@asiaone.com
