中評社新加坡6月5日電（記者 臧涵）日本防相稻田朋美日前在第十六屆香格里拉對話會上發表演講，英文全文如下：
Dr. Chipman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am truly honored to attend this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue. I would like to express my deep gratitude to the IISS and the Government of Singapore for hosting this event, which has become an important fixture in the international security arena. Singapore, of course, is strategically located, connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans. I can think of no other place more suitable than this beautiful country to discuss the regional order of the Indo-Pacific. I also feel privileged to share the podium with my fellow ministers: Minister Marise Payne of Australia, and Minister Sylvie Goulard of France.
Today, it is my great pleasure to speak on the very important theme, “Upholding the Rules-Based Regional Order.”
International rules set the standards for acceptable and non-acceptable conduct for every country as they carry out their diplomatic, economic and security-related affairs. Shared commitments by all countries to act in accordance with international rules brings about a safe, stable and inclusive world. This is a world where all countries are equal before the rules. A world in which every country has shared expectations about how other countries conduct themselves. A world in which tensions and differences are resolved peacefully without the use or threat of force to alter the status quo. A world in which every country, irrespective of its size and strength, has the chance to rise and prosper without fear of coercion or intimidation.
To be sure, international rules must adapt and evolve in order to stay relevant to changing circumstances, but not in a parochial, disruptive, disorderly way. No country benefits from forcefully altering the prevailing rules-based order. It is particularly unwise and counter-productive for a country to upend the rules-based order from which that country has accrued enormous benefits. Surely it would be unreasonable for a country to seek to undermine the order that has provided for a stable strategic environment: an environment that has enabled that very country to develop its economy and advance the well-being of its people.
The 2007 ASEAN Charter states that one of the purposes of ASEAN is to “enhance good governance and the rule of law” and that one of ASEAN’s principles is to uphold international law. ASEAN indeed plays an essential role in sustaining the rules-based international order. It is encouraging to see that ASEAN is further strengthening its unity under the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. We welcome and support the joint maritime patrolling efforts by regional countries in the Malacca Strait and the Sulu Sea, which represent their commitment to protect international rules to ensure security and continued prosperity.
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