Archive May 31, 2025

Singapore: There hasn’t been a single notable absence among the numerous military personnel who have been hurling across the Shangri-La Hotel’s lobby this weekend.

Beijing sent a delegation of lower-ranking representatives in place of China’s defense minister, Dong Jun, who had previously skipped the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security forum.

China has not sent its defense minister to the high-level dialogue on regional defense for the first time since 2019, aside from when the event was postponed in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore’s concern about Beijing’s decision came at a time when China and the United States, the two biggest superpowers in the world, are atheightened levels.

Due to Dong’s absence, there was no face-to-face interaction with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, his US counterpart, who had the opportunity to speak openly at the defense forum on Saturday about the potential military threat posed by China.

Hegseth told delegates in Singapore that it must be made clear that Beijing is legitimately considering using military force to alter the Indo-Pacific’s power balance.

Hegseth criticized Beijing for its regular military exercises in Taiwan and its increasingly frequent skirmishes in the South China Sea, citing Beijing’s continued support for its neighbors.

There is no justification for embellishing it. Hegseth remarked that the threat China poses is real and could become immediate.

He also cited China’s growing military might as a motivating factor for Asian nations to increase their defense spending, and cited Germany, which has pledged to devote 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense.

Hegseth said, “It makes no sense for countries in Europe to do that while important allies in Asia spend less on defense in the face of an even greater threat.”

Despite tensions in recent months as US President Donald Trump targeted some close allies with heavy trade tariffs, the defense chief also sought to reassure Asian allies that Washington was committed to Asia Pacific security.

In his opening address, he declared, “America is proud to be back in the Indo-Pacific, and we’re here to stay.”

Some analysts were quick to downplay Hegseth’s warnings about China’s seriousness.

Not many people in this region of the world view China as an imminent threat, according to Dylan Loh, assistant professor in Nanyang Technological University’s public policy and global affairs program in Singapore.

China kept quiet about the defense chief’s absence.

The Shangri-La Dialogue had previously provided a rare opportunity for Chinese and US officials to meet in less formal settings at the summit.

Beijing’s military chiefs were also able to respond directly to the US defense secretary’s opening address and share their story with other members of the Asia-Pacific using the schedule’s structure.

Defense Minister Dong’s absence from the forum has sparked a rumor-filled information void in Beijing, which has remained secret.

A high-profile delegate was not invited to the event at a sensitive time as Beijing and the Trump administration battled tariff disputes, according to one theory.

According to Loh, of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, “any faux pas or comments that might go off script can be picked up and picked apart or misinterpreted.”

So the question is, “Why take the risk when US-China relations are in such fragile shape right now,” Loh said.

Chinese defense ministers haven’t always had the simplest of luck attending the Shangri-La Dialogue weekend. They have recently been confronted with challenging questions by Chinese counterparts in other nations, who are unhappy with Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.

Loh speculated that Dong’s absence from the famous event may be a result of this.

Any Chinese defense minister who visits Singapore right now will put himself and the nation in danger, he said. China will become a convenient target, according to Loh, adding that “the South China Sea and possibly Taiwan will emerge.”

In late 2023, Dong was appointed as China’s defense minister following the resignation of Li Shangfu from office.

Following reports that he was being investigated as part of a wider investigation into corruption in the Chinese military, there was speculation less than a year into the job. Despite the allegations, Beijing continues to hold a public eye on the minister despite the reports.

Following rumors of President Xi Jinping purging of top-level officials, the Chinese military has also been subject to intense scrutiny.

He Weidong, one of Beijing’s most senior generals, was absent from a notable political gathering in April, which bolstered rumors of a possible change in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Such speculation, according to Ian Chong, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie China research center, may contribute to Dong’s absence in Singapore.

According to Chong, “they may not want to, or the PLA feels that it is not in a position to send someone senior,” given the domestic upheaval with China’s senior military.

Chinese military spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang continued to maintain communication channels between defense officials in Washington and Beijing after revealing Dong’s absence at a press conference prior to the summit.