Vivian Balakrishnan News

The Association of South East Asian Nations is hoping to expedite negotiations on a code of conduct with China for the South China Sea but it is not realistic to expect an agreement within a year, Singapore's defence minister said on Wednesday. China and the 10-member ASEAN bloc adopted a negotiating framework on the code for the disputed and busy waterway, largely controlled by China but also claimed by some ASEAN states, in August and have begun talks. "We hope it will be expedited but it's a very, very complex issue," Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told reporters after a gathering of ASEAN defence chiefs. "It's a century's old dispute. Expecting (the code) in one year is just unrealistic," he said.

Singapore welcomes Hong Kong pledge on handling of dispute. Singapore's defence minister on Monday said the nine armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong could not be detained or confiscated, but that he welcomed Hong Kong's pledge for the dispute to be handled in line with its laws. Hong Kong customs seized the troop carriers in November as they were being shipped to Singapore from Taiwan after military exercises on the island that Beijing regards as a breakaway province, sparking tension between Singapore and China. Beijing, which regained sovereignty over the former British colony of Hong Kong in 1997, then warned countries against maintaining military ties with Taiwan. The vehicles were Singapore property, said Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, answering questions in parliament.

Keppel FELS Ltd’s (Keppel FELS) innovative and harsh environment accommodation semisubmersible design, DSS 20NS ,was conferred the IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2013 by the Institute of Engineers Singapore (IES) at the World Engineers Summit Gala Dinner and Award Presentation, held in Singapore on 13 September 2013. Guest of Honour of the event, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, presented the award to Keppel FELS.