(Dan Tri) – This year’s 20th Shangri-La Dialogue will take place from June 2-4 in Singapore, with the focus being discussions on urgent security challenges in the region.
Delegates attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2017 (Photo: IISS).
The event is expected to host more than 550 delegates including Defense Ministers, military leaders and senior defense officials, as well as business leaders and security experts, from more than 40 countries.
In this dialogue, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is the highest-ranking guest and he will give an important speech at the opening ceremony on June 2.
Two issues of particular interest to observers in this Dialogue are the impact and prospects of the Russia-Ukraine military conflict on the regional and world situation and the direction of competition between China and Ukraine.
The proposal for such a meeting was raised by the US side last May, but the Chinese side refused the invitation.
The US-China relationship has become `bad rice, not sweet soup` since the US issued an export ban on semiconductor technology, followed by the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives visiting Taiwan in August 2022.
Soon after, US Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin contacted his Chinese counterpart, but the call was rejected and the US Secretary of State was forced to cancel his visit to Beijing, overshadowing all goodwill and hope.
Recently, top US and Chinese trade officials met directly in Washington, showing that China seems willing to resume economic discussions rather than defense dialogue with the US.
In September 2018, the US Government imposed sanctions on Lieutenant General Li Shangfu, Head of the Department of Equipment Development of the Chinese Central Military Commission (before January 2016, called the Military Equipment General Department).
On the occasion of the 92nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China, Mr. Li Shangfu was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on July 31, 2019.
US President Joe Biden is currently faced with two options: keep `sanctions` against the Chinese Defense Minister, cancel defense negotiations with Beijing, or lift sanctions and risk
Since 2021, China has refused or failed to respond to more than a dozen US requests for meetings with key defense leaders, many requests for permanent dialogue and nearly 10 meetings at the working level.
Public opinion expects China and the US to create necessary conditions for dialogue and communication between the two countries’ militaries, so that competition does not lead to conflict, towards preserving peace and promoting prosperous development in the world.
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