Shangri-La Dialogue to be Held Without Dedicated China Session

(Central News Agency, Taipei, 28th) The annual Asia-Pacific security forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue, will be held in Singapore for three consecutive days starting tomorrow. According to the official schedule, there is no dedicated session for China this year.

Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported today that the dialogue will take place from the 29th to the 31st. By convention, when both US and Chinese defense ministers attend, the US Secretary of Defense speaks at a plenary session, followed by the Chinese Defense Minister the next day. However, according to the latest schedule, the theme for the plenary session on the 31st is "Managing Regional Tensions Amid Global Competition," rather than a China-specific session.

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun represented China at the forum in 2024, delivering a speech on "China's Global Security Concept." Dong Jun will not attend the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue, and the forum has not arranged a China-themed session. The delegation in 2025 will be led by Hu Gangfeng, Deputy President and Dean of Education of the PLA National Defense University.

Foreign media previously cited sources saying that Dong Jun is not expected to attend this year's forum, marking his second consecutive absence. Lianhe Zaobao stated, "It is unlikely that China will send a high-level representative this year."