US, China Security Tensions Loom Over Shangri-La Summit

TaiwanPlus News

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.

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00:01U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives in Singapore for the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue,

00:08an annual meeting of top defense officials and security experts.

00:12On the agenda for the next three days, the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran,

00:16and security in the Indo-Pacific, including the Taiwan Strait.

00:20Political scientists say the U.S.'s role will be key.

00:24There's a lot more skepticism surrounding the volatility of U.S. policy.

00:29So what he says and how states respond will be quite key.

00:34And I suppose he would probably be asked to provide some clearer justification for the U.S. action in Iran

00:44and to provide some indication on how that situation there will stabilize

00:49and ease some of the pressure for countries in this region.

00:54Hosted by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies,

00:58the Shangri-La Dialogue is an important space for shaping defense policy in the Indo-Pacific region.

01:04And these conversations could not come sooner,

01:06as a report released by the group ahead of the meeting said that U.S. involvement in a conflict

01:11with China over Taiwan could risk a nuclear escalation.

01:16But China's defense minister won't be attending the dialogue.

01:20Instead, a delegation from the country's National Defense University and the Navy will attend

01:25for the second year in a row, raising questions about whether Beijing is avoiding conversations

01:30about its security strategy.

01:32We can't participate in the military.

01:34We can't participate in the military.

01:34So we have to choose a member to choose a member to prevent China

01:38to become a speaker or to be a speaker.

01:42Or to prevent it becoming a speaker.

01:45Or to prevent it in the meeting,

01:46there are more people who want to understand China's state

01:50in the military or the military,

01:52and the important issues of the country.

01:54We can't recover these敏感 issues.

01:58While China may be trying to avoid questions, with dozens of other high-level delegates

02:03set to attend the summit, including the presidents of Vietnam and Timor-Leste, as well as the

02:08Secretary-General of ASEAN, the security of the Indo-Pacific may well rest on their conversations

02:13this weekend.

02:14Leon Lian and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.

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