THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

How Hegseth might shift his tone on Taiwan at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue Chinese delegates to the Shangri-La Dialogue anticipate Washington will strike a less confrontational tone on Taiwan than it did last year, even as the issue remains the largest point of contention in China-US relations. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to speak at the annual security conference in Singapore on Saturday morning. His remarks will be closely watched by Beijing and Washington’s regional allies for signs of any policy shift following the high-stakes summit between...

No Dong Jun, but plenty of China at Shangri-La Dialogue China’s defence minister may not have attended this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue but China still loomed large and remained at the centre of discussion. 

Hegseth at Asia defence gathering, China-EU tensions, Computex US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will address Asia’s main annual defence gathering on Saturday, with US allies perhaps hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s ticking off. Hegseth’s morning speech will be the main event at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, particularly as Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun is not attending for the second year in a row. Other speakers on the agenda include the defence ministers of Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Qatar. Australia, Japan and South...

China defence chief Dong Jun tipped to skip this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun is set to skip the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore for the second year in a row, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Instead, China will send a lower-level People’s Liberation Army (PLA) delegation to Asia’s premier defence forum which will open on Friday and continue until Sunday, the sources said. This year marks the 23rd edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue, which brings together defence ministers, military chiefs, diplomats and analysts to...

Chinese and UK officials at Shangri-La Dialogue vow to strengthen military ties China and British delegations discussed concrete plans to strengthen military engagement during talks on Friday on the sidelines of a major security event in Singapore. Major General Meng Xiangqing, who led the Chinese delegation to Asia’s largest defence summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, met United Kingdom military officials, signalling both militaries’ willingness to maintain communication. Meng, a professor at the PLA National Defence University, told the British officials that...

China sends defence university delegation to Shangri-La Dialogue for second straight year Beijing will not send Defence Minister Dong Jun to Asia's top security summit, where US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to speak.

China dials down rhetoric but regional risks persist at Shangri-La Dialogue The world faces challenges from “hegemonism” and “bloc confrontation” driven by “certain countries”, China’s delegation to Asia’s premier security conference said on Saturday, without directly naming the United States. Major General Meng Xiangqing, the head of the Chinese delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, sent the warning during a special session on managing threats to strategic stability. Meng, a professor at the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University, also used...

ASEAN leaders at Shangri-La Dialogue: 'We won't choose sides' ASEAN leaders at Shangri-La Dialogue: 'We won't choose sides' Singapore's Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, June 1, 2025. /VCG In a special address to the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim - as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025 - rejected the pressure of choosing sides in geopolitical rivalries. Speaking at the final session of the dialogue on Sunday, Singaporean Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing echoed Anwar's stance. Out of geopolitical necessity, Southeast Asia must engage with both China and the United States as well as other nations, rather than take sides, he said. "If we have to choose sides, may we choose the side of principles - principles that uphold a global order where we do not descend into the law of the jungle, where the mighty do what they wish and the weak suffer what they must," Chan said. Their making clear the stance of taking no sides came after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Asia-Pacific countries to increase their military spending to…

China defence chief Dong Jun tipped to skip this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue The regional security forum opens on Friday (May 29) in Singapore with no official word yet on who will lead the Chinese delegation.