China sends defence university delegation to Shangri-La Dialogue for second straight year
Beijing will not send Defence Minister Dong Jun to Asia's top security summit, where US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to speak.
by Daphne Yow · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: China will send a delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defence University to this year's Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, marking the second straight year Beijing has opted not to dispatch its defence minister to Asia's top security summit.
The delegation will be led by the defence university's Major General Meng Xiangqing, the Chinese defence ministry said during a press briefing on Thursday (May 28), seemingly confirming earlier rumours that defence chief Dong Jun would not be attending the weekend event, which starts on Friday.
Major General Meng will speak at the event, as will former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cui Tiankai, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which organises the annual summit.
This year's edition will see 44 countries in attendance, said Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Thursday, with 54 ministerial-level delegates and over 42 Chief of Defence Forces-level delegates and senior defence officials from countries across the Asia-Pacific and Europe, as well as prominent academics.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Vietnamese President To Lam will deliver the keynote address on Friday night, while Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta will give a special address on Saturday.
Mr Hegseth is scheduled to speak on Saturday.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will host a reception at the Istana on Saturday, and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing will speak at a plenary session on Sunday on the topic "Evolving Security Partnerships in a Fragmenting World", said MINDEF.
Mr Chan will also host visiting ministers to roundtable discussions - a regular feature of the summit - on Saturday and Sunday.
In addition, he also host the defence ministers of the countries in the Five Power Defence Arrangements - Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom - to breakfast.
Mr Chan will join his Philippines counterpart, Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr, to co-host a breakfast meeting with ASEAN defence ministers.
He will also hold bilateral meetings with ministers and senior officials from various countries on the sidelines of the summit, said MINDEF.
Established in 2002, the Shangri-La Dialogue is the premier defence and security conference in the Asia-Pacific region.
Over the years, it has "provided a valuable platform for the exchange of perspectives on defence and security issues and initiatives" and "facilitates opportunities for like-minded countries to come together and cooperate to address new challenges", said MINDEF.
Conflicts in the Middle East - including the US-Iran war - uncertainty over US commitments in Asia and rising tensions over Taiwan are expected to dominate the agenda.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app