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SINGAPORE \u2013 Several ASEAN defence ministers met ahead of the second day of the Shangri-La Dialogue<\/span><\/a> on May 30, during which they committed to ensuring the free flow of trade and supplies through international corridors, including the straits of Malacca and Singapore.<\/p>\n At a breakfast co-hosted by Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing and Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jr, the leaders from eight countries in the South-east Asian bloc reaffirmed the importance of international law and norms in the region.<\/p>\n In particular, they stressed that the right of transit passage<\/span><\/a> under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) needed to be upheld.<\/p>\n Since the United States and Israel struck Iran on Feb 28, the Islamic republic has retaliated by closing the critical Strait of Hormuz<\/span><\/a>, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows.<\/p>\n Indonesia\u2019s finance minister in April floated the idea of imposing a levy on ships<\/span><\/a> passing through the Malacca and Singapore straits, splitting the proceeds three ways.<\/p>\n This prompted the foreign ministers of Indonesia and Malaysia to reiterate that no country can unilaterally determine access<\/span><\/a> to the Strait of Malacca.<\/p>\n In a statement about the breakfast meeting, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said the defence ministers also affirmed how the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defence summit, provides a platform for ASEAN members to interact with defence and security officials from across the globe.<\/p>\n