The upcoming Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore will be a pivotal event, bringing together top defence officials, senior military officers, diplomats, weapons makers, and security analysts from around the world. The discussions are expected to revolve around the tense relationship between China and the United States, ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and unresolved tensions in the South China Sea. This gathering, which will be held from May 31 to June 2 in Singapore, presents a crucial opportunity to address these pressing security issues on a global platform.
As reported by Reuters, the meeting will see a diverse participation of about 600 delegates from nearly 50 countries. The event will kick off with a keynote address by Filipino President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, who has expressed concerns over new South China Sea rules outlined by China’s coast guard. Marcos, who will present his country’s position on the issue, emphasized the significance of the South China Sea issue on a global scale.
“This affects the region, and it affects the world,” he said.
Apart from the U.S. delegation headlining Saturday’s speech and China featuring on Sunday, this year’s edition includes a special session by Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who has said Indonesia was very open to both the U.S. and China.
Analysts say the dialogue is useful for the bilateral and multilateral military-to-military meetings on the sidelines of plenary sessions and speeches delivered by defence ministers.
The Russians have been absent from the security meeting since 2022, when the Russian military invaded Ukraine. No Israeli delegation signed up to attend this year.
Last year, China declined to meet the U.S. delegation. However, the U.S.-Sino relationship has improved since the last Shangri-la Dialogue and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, on Friday.
Austin aims to cool tensions with China even as he raises regional and global security issues while reassuring Asian allies that Washington is committed to helping the region counter China.
In Beijing, China’s defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said on Thursday that Dong is heading to the Singapore conference but did not confirm a meeting with Austin.
“China believes that high-level China-U.S. strategic military communications help stabilise military-to-military relations; China maintains an open attitude towards this,” Wu said.
Although analysts expect the strong Western turnout at the dialogue to keep some focus on Ukraine and Gaza, issues related to China will most likely be front and centre. Analysts say Marcos’ keynote would put South China Sea issues on the agenda, and the U.S. and close allies will also raise Taiwan Strait issues.
(with Reuters inputs)
Team BharatShakti
