WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND! Global Playbook is coming to you from Suzanne Lynch and Zoya Sheftalovich in Singapore, where the Shangri-La Dialogue is in full swing. He’s coming: There’s only one name on everyone’s lips here at the conference: Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president is expected to touch town in Singapore to address the premier Asian defense summit this weekend. Fighting the global PR battle: Zelenskyy’s decision to travel to Singapore for the forum sends a powerful signal as Ukraine battles to convince the wider global community to get on board as it mounts a desperate defense against Russia’s invading forces. In case you missed it: For our analysis of what’s at stake, read our article on Kyiv’s efforts to win the hearts and minds of the so-called Global South — a task that got more difficult after the war in Gaza. BEYOND VOLODYMYR: While Zelenskyy’s imminent arrival will likely dominate conversations in the Shangri-La lobby again today, we’re in for a packed agenda with many political heavyweights taking to the stage: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto are both due to deliver speeches. Party time: Then this evening, Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam hosts an invite-only bash for government delegates at the National Gallery. (Playbook, shockingly, didn’t make the guest list.) We just hope they get a chance to check out the world’s largest collection of modern Southeast Asian art. PHILIPPINES IN FOCUS MARCOS WARMS UP THE CROWD: Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a fiery speech at the opening dinner of the Shangri-La Dialogue last night. Spotted: Among those present were Singapore’s newly minted Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his predecessor Lee Hsien Loong; U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin; U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Laphonza Butler; Australian Defense Minister/Deputy PM Richard Marles. On the menu: As delegates sipped South Australian wine and grazed on yuzu-glazed roasted prawn with seared Hokkaido scallops and sous vide corn-fed chicken, they heard a passionate defense of sovereignty. “I do not intend to yield. Filipinos do not yield,” said the man known as Bongbong. “Illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions continue to violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” he added — without name-checking China. Background: The Philippines has been subject to heightened pressure in the South China Sea in recent years, particularly after Marcos took office in 2022. China has especially targeted a reef known as the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: We sat down with the Philippines’ Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo to get a sense of the challenges facing one of the region’s fastest-growing emerging economies. Deep sea saber-rattling: Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea (or, as it’s known in Manila, the West Philippines Sea), are “very concerning,” Manalo said, pointing to its deployment of water cannons and lasers against Filipinos fishing in the area. “China has increased its assertiveness in this area. And it doesn’t seem like they’re backing down,” he said. How should Manila respond? “We have to work within our means,” Manalo acknowledged, noting that “first and foremost we are committed to addressing these issues with China or any other country through diplomatic and peaceful means.” The Philippines “can’t do this alone,” Manalo added, highlighting the country’s partnerships with Australia, Canada, the EU and of course the United States. Washington’s role: The deepening U.S.-Philippines relationship is Manila’s trump card as it adopts an increasingly defiant posture against Beijing. But is Manalo confident that the Mutual Defense Treaty signed between the U.S. and the Philippines in 1951 is enough to protect Filipino sovereignty? Manalo is unequivocal: “The U.S. has made it very clear that any attack affecting a public vessel of the Philippines … would immediately kick in the appropriate provisions of the MDT,” he said. “To date, this has not happened, because China is harassing our fishing boats, our coast guards, which aren’t considered naval assets. Of course, they’ve been very careful.” But if China does cross the line, “the U.S. has made clear that their commitment to us … is ironclad.” US-CHINA TURNING ON THE CHARM: It was all smiles as Beijing’s delegation treated journalists to a lengthy press briefing following Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun’s meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Friday, my colleague Stuart Lau reports. Lines of communication: Beijing was keen to stress that the “constructive meeting,” which lasted a longer-than-expected 75 minutes and was the first in-person catch-up between the two since 2022, was a major step toward stabilizing bilateral ties. That messaging mirrored the U.S. administration’s emphasis on the fact the meeting actually took place. Getting down to business: The U.S. “expressed concern about recent provocative PLA activity around the Taiwan Strait,” and warned that China should not use Taiwan’s political transition to new President Lai Ching-te “as a pretext for coercive measures.” China warned the U.S. about activity in the Philippines, while Dong told Austin not to lend support to Taiwan’s independence forces. Uncle Sam rolls into town: It’s not just Austin making his presence felt in Singapore. Members of the U.S. Congress flew in straight from their controversial visit to Taiwan, to show America’s commitment to the Asia-Pacific. Coast to coast: Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who represents Alaska, was quick to telegraph America’s West Coast credentials. “My home city of Anchorage is closer to Tokyo than it is to D.C.,” he told journalists Friday, highlighting the extra U.S. money being channeled into the Indo-Pacific region. Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who was born in Thailand and grew up in Indonesia, Singapore and Hawaii before joining the U.S. Army, said it was about “making our Indo-Pacific partners understand that we’re not going to abandon them; that we’re here in partnership.” And that includes looking for partners to help solve America’s supply chain problem. Easy does it: The bipartisan group was eager not to stir up controversy, insisting the trip to Taiwan following Lai’s inauguration was fair game — though they did receive angry letters from Chinese representatives. “No one is seeking conflict with the PRC. We don’t want the PRC to invade Taiwan,” Duckworth said. Treading a fine line: “We’re committed to the One China policy, but we’re also committed to the Taiwan Relations Act,” Sullivan noted, which “says that a non-peaceful resolution of the issue of Taiwan would be viewed as a grave threat by the United States.” Under that law, the U.S. pledges to “provide Taiwan the means to defend itself, and also the means of the United States to be able to assist if called upon,” he added. At least they’re talking: Duckworth welcomed the Austin-Dong meeting, saying: “We went through a period when Secretary Austin called, no one answered the phone.” Just don’t mention the T word: And, no, we don’t mean Taiwan. In the spirit of bipartisanship, the delegation wouldn’t get drawn into the debate over the bombshell news from the United States — Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony charges. Asked about the impact of a potential second Trump presidency on America’s Indo-Pacific strategy, Duckworth was diplomatic. “The U.S. is committed to this region, the U.S. is committed to opposing authoritarianism … that message doesn’t change depending on who is going to occupy the White House,” the Democrat said. SPOTTED … A huge, red, gold-embossed gift box, holding a Chinese artefact gifted by Beijing to the Canadian delegation, being awkwardly carried through the Shangri-La lobby by a member of Team Canada. China’s Ottawa charm offensive, eh? ON THE GROUND FORECAST: 31C/87F, cloudy. YOU KNOW YOU’RE IN SINGAPORE WHEN … your hotel breakfast buffet dishes are cleared by a robot. BEST CANAPÉS: Delegates were treated to a tasty selection of beetroot and sweet potato and quinoa and green pea hors d’oeuvres in the Island Foyer bar over pre-dinner drinks. Over in the press room, meanwhile, hungry blue-badged reporters tucked into soft shell crab sushi rolls — accompanied by a large, artfully artichoke-shaped knob of wasabi. TAXI TIP: If you’re one of us plebs who’s not staying at the Shangri-La and need to commute in for the conference, bear in mind your taxi will have to go through security screening at the hotel (especially given the Zelenskyy news). You may find it quicker to get dropped off at the Treetops Executive Residences, and do the final five minutes to the Shangri-La on foot. SPOTTED … The 6′ 3½″ U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, striding through the Shangri-La lobby late Friday afternoon, dwarfing his earpiece-wearing, black-suited secret service detail, as civvies and military personnel rushed to snap photos. SPOTTED … EU High Representative Josep Borrell briefly loitering in the Shangri-La lobby Friday at lunchtime, dressed in a dark army green mandarin-collar suit (a slightly curious attempt at Singapore-chic perhaps?) before being saved from boredom/embarrassment by a cheery Hanno Pevkur, the Estonian defense minister. Borrell was waiting for Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who arrived about 10 minutes later. The duo embraced, posed for photos, then ducked into the Shangri-La’s Cantonese Shang Palace restaurant for lunch. FUEL UP: If you don’t mind a shlep (or you find yourself near the Singapore Art Museum), the brews at Nylon Coffee at Everton Park are top notch. AGENDA Agenda … official app … livestream. Highlights — 8:35 a.m. First plenary session featuring U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the United States’ strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific; Island Ballroom — 9:30 a.m. Second plenary session on enhancing crisis management amid rising competition, featuring President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and Korea’s Defense Minister Shin Won-sik; Island Ballroom — 11:30 a.m. Third plenary session on building cooperative security in the Asia-Pacific featuring EU High Representative Josep Borrell, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles and Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense General Tea Seiha; Island Ballroom — 1 p.m. Ministerial roundtable (invitation only); Azalea I and II — 2:45 p.m. Address by Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto; Island Ballroom — 3:15 p.m. Fourth plenary session on cross-regional security order challenges with Lithuania’s Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah and Japan’s Defense Minister Minoru Kihara; Island Ballroom — 5 p.m. Session on maritime law enforcement and confidence building, featuring U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan, Chief of the Maritime Security Agency of Indonesia Vice Admiral Irvansyah, Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan and Commander of the Vietnam Coast Guard Major General Le Quang Dao; Casuarina Room — 5 p.m. Session on AI, cyberdefense and future warfare, featuring Chair of NATO’s Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer, Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command General Timothy Haugh, Director-General of the Joint Staff Headquarters of the Pakistan Armed Forces Lieutenant General Ahsan Gulrez, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric Egger; Acacia Room — 5 p.m. Session on coordinating global humanitarian operations, featuring Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson, Fiji’s Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Pio Tikoduadua, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines General Romeo Brawner Jr. and Chief of the Defence Force of Australia General Angus Campbell; Banyan Room — 7:30 p.m. Reception and dinner (by invitation, for government delegates only); National Gallery of Singapore WHAT WE’RE READING — Hamas no longer poses major threat to Israel, Biden says, POLITICO — U.S. imposes visa restrictions on Chinese, Hong Kong officials, State Dept says, Reuters — How Biden got to a ‘yes’ on letting Ukraine hit inside Russia, POLITICO — Seoul says North Korea is dropping balloons filled with ‘filth and garbage,' the Financial Times — Iran opens registration for the June presidential election after Raisi died in a helicopter crash, Associated Press
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