China may scale back its participation in the security forum in Singapore — Bloomberg

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun is unlikely to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue—Asia’s largest security forum, to be held in Singapore—for the second consecutive year. 

This was reported by Bloomberg.

According to the publication, Beijing may send a lower-level delegation to the event, specifically representatives from the National Defense University of the People’s Liberation Army of China.

There is no official confirmation of the decision to skip the high-level participation yet, and the final decision, according to sources, could still change.

In the absence of the Chinese defense minister, the forum will lose one of the key platforms for direct military contacts between the U.S. and China. Pentagon chief Pete Hagset is expected to attend the event this year.

The last in-person meeting between the two countries’ defense ministers took place at this very forum in 2024, underscoring its importance as a channel for military communication.

Taiwan and the situation in the South China Sea remain key points of tension between Washington and Beijing. According to Bloomberg, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has previously warned of the risk of direct conflict should the Taiwan issue escalate.

It is also noted that China is gradually developing its own security frameworks, notably the Xiangshan Forum, which is viewed as an alternative to Western platforms for defense dialogue.

As a reminder, Taiwan deployed naval forces and fighter jets to monitor another Chinese “combat readiness patrol” near the island. 

Beijing has criticized Germany after a group of German lawmakers visited Taiwan. China stated that such trips are politically sensitive and could affect bilateral relations between the countries.