US, China Security Tensions Loom Over Shangri-La Summit
Top defense officials and security experts are gathering in Singapore for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, with tensions over the Taiwan Strait and the US-Israeli war with Iran expected to dominate discussions. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has arrived for the three-day summit, where analysts say countries will closely watch Washington’s security policies in the Indo-Pacific. A report released ahead of the event warned that US involvement in a conflict with China over Taiwan could risk nuclear escalation. China’s defense minister will again skip the summit, instead sending representatives from the country's National Defense University and navy, raising questions about Beijing’s security posture.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives in Singapore for the 23rd Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual meeting of top defense officials and security experts. On the agenda for the next three days: the US and Israel’s war with Iran, and security in the Indo-Pacific, including the Taiwan Strait. Political scientists say the US’s role will be key.
Ja Ian Chong (NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE):
There's a lot more skepticism surrounding the volatility of U.S. policy. So what he (Hegseth) says and how states respond will be quite key, and I suppose he would probably be asked to provide some clearer justification for the U.S. action in Iran, and to provide some indication on how that situation there will stabilize and ease some of the pressure for countries in this region.
Hosted by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Shangri-la Dialogue is an important space for shaping defense policy in the Indo-Pacific region. And these conversations could not come sooner, as a report released by the group ahead of the meeting said that US involvement in a conflict with China over Taiwan could risk a nuclear escalation.
But China’s defense minister won’t be attending the dialogue. Instead, a delegation from the country's National Defense University and the navy will attend, for the second year in a row, raising questions about whether Beijing is avoiding conversations about its security strategy.
Shen Ming-shih (DEFENSE ANALYST, INDSR):
Defense Minister Dong Jun couldn’t participate so instead they chose a professor to avoid making China a target of criticism and avoid attention on China’s current attitude on defense after the Trump-Xi meeting concerning the Taiwan Strait. Doing so, they can avoid answering these sensitive questions.
While China may be trying to avoid questions, with dozens of other high-level delegates set to attend the summit, including the presidents of Vietnam and Timor-Leste, as well as the secretary-general of ASEAN, the security of the Indo-Pacific may well rest on their conversations this weekend.
