Defence Minister Mohamad Hasan stressed there was no need for him to give speeches at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore; instead, he prioritised bilateral talks with leaders of other countries.

He said the bilateral talks, between the defence ministers and the leadership of the armed forces at the conference, were more effective in conveying Malaysia’s position on defence and national security issues than giving speeches.

“When we held a plenary session or a summit, we delivered speeches...