appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Amber Wang

Alcott Wei

Meredith Chen

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 the session to respond to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks earlier in the day on Washington’s security focus in the region.
“I noticed that Hegseth mentioned in his speech the recent meeting between the Chinese and US leaders in Beijing and the consensus reached there,” Meng said.
“We also hope that China and the United States will move towards each other ... promote the development of military-to-military relations along a healthy, stable and sustainable path.”
In his comments, the general avoided the kind of sharp criticism of the United States that characterised the Chinese delegation’s responses last year.
Similarly, Hegseth took a softer line on China than he did last year.
He said US-China relations were “better than they have been in many years” and described the summit in Beijing between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as “historic”.
It was a major departure from Hegseth’s 2025 speech when he explicitly warned that “communist China” sought to become a “hegemonic power” in Asia and that “any attempt … to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world”.
“We do not approach this challenge with needless confrontation but with a posture of measured and deliberate strength,” he said on Saturday.
However, Hegseth still expressed concerns about China’s “historic” military build-up and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond.
Like Meng, he only cautioned against efforts to impose hegemony in the region.
“A Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power,” Hegseth said. “No state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.”
Hegseth’s speech and the Chinese delegation’s remarks at the forum were closely watched, with observers seeing them as an indicator of the outcomes of the Xi-Trump summit.


One notable absence from Hegseth’s speech was any reference to Taiwan, which was mentioned five times in his address last year, although he did offer a cautious response when asked about US arms sales to Taiwan, saying that any decision “will rest with” Trump.
Trump has yet to approve a US$14 billion arms sale package for Taiwan and Hegseth did not say whether the deal would go ahead.
Hegseth also rejected a suggestion that the issue was linked to the US-Israeli war against Iran, which has depleted US weapons stocks, saying: “I would not couple the two in any way at all.”
Meng, meanwhile, used his session to warn Taiwan independence forces, saying they were “incompatible” with peace across the Taiwan Strait.
He also took a shot at Australia’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus pact, and Japan’s military plans.
China has repeatedly warned about Japanese military expansion as Tokyo pushes to increase arms exports and deepen defence ties with the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.
“For a country that has not thoroughly eradicated the roots of its militarist past, I deeply question whether it [Japan] can win the trust of the international community – especially of the Asian countries it once invaded – while speaking at international forums about defence cooperation,” Meng said.
However, Japan came in for praise from Hegseth for bolstering its defences, as did allies South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Another absence in Hegseth’s address this year was the South China Sea. Again, it was in contrast to 2025, when he accused China of intimidating neighbouring countries and said any attempt to change the status quo in the South China Sea or first island chain would be unacceptable.
The debate was more heated in another panel session when Beijing’s former envoy to Washington Cui Tiankai discussed stability in the Taiwan Strait with participants from Britain, the United States, Indonesia and Greece.
During the discussion, Cui was asked whether China might block the Taiwan Strait as Iran had done, resulting in a global semiconductor supply shortage.
“The Strait of Hormuz issue is a conflict between sovereign states, while the Taiwan issue is a matter of territorial integrity. I hope people will carefully distinguish between the two issues,” Cui said.


He said that if the one-China policy was upheld by all countries and there was no foreign interference, “the Chinese people on both sides of the strait are capable of achieving peaceful reunification”.
“If peaceful reunification is achieved, the instability in the Taiwan Strait will be removed,” Cui said.
However, Lieutenant General Bambang Trisnohadi, chief of staff for territorial affairs with the Indonesian National Armed Forces, said that if the Taiwan Strait was blocked, “it could indeed affect other countries, especially Indonesia”.
“The US might retaliate with a blockade against China, and Indonesia might, under pressure, help its ‘partners’ join the counter-blockade,” Bambang said.
“Indonesia must prepare for the possibility of such a blockade.”
After the discussion, Cui told the South China Morning Post that “Bambang may not represent Indonesia’s complete position, he should perhaps consult his president”.
“In my past exchanges with Indonesia, their general position on Taiwan seems to be different,” he said.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China and has never renounced the use of force to reunite it with the mainland.
Most countries, including the United States, Indonesia and Britain, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons to defend itself.
Cui also criticised “some European countries” for sending warships to the Taiwan Strait, saying the behaviour was a reminder of colonial history.
“We are willing to cooperate inclusively with countries including the United States and Asean,” he said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“I understand that different countries have different positions and views, but China will never send warships and military aircraft to other countries’ territorial waters and airspace.”
Lieutenant General George Rowell, deputy commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said the US was not only conducting operations in the Taiwan Strait.
“Freedom of navigation is not just about the Taiwan Strait, but about freedom globally,” he said.
Rowell also said the United States would continue to strengthen deterrence within the first island chain and the framework of international law, but did not specify the target of this deterrence.
The first island chain is a series of islands off East Asia controlled by US allies and used to project military influence – an influence that China is seeking to resist.
“I hope that communication between the Chinese and US militaries can be strengthened in the future. Although our previous communication was not entirely satisfactory, we should continue to try,” Rowell said.


Donald Trump presses China on fentanyl precursors ahead of US summit

BYD, Xiaomi and Innolight executives likely to join Xi Jinping on US visit: sources

US Congress passes bill targeting Russia’s leading energy buyers – China and India

Huawei accused of stealing robot tech to get hands on T-Mobile’s trade secrets

US-China relations

China dials down rhetoric but regional risks persist at Shangri-La Dialogue

Major General Meng Xiangqing  (second from left)  leaves a special session at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

How US defence chief Hegseth softened his tone towards China after Xi-Trump meeting

Pete Hegseth speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

17 nations launch pact to protect vital undersea cables amid US, China absence

Singapore’s Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing (centre) with representatives from 16 partner countries during the launch of the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday. Photo: Singapore’s Ministry of Defence

Singapore’s Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing speaks at the launch of the Guide during the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday. Photo: Singapore’s Ministry of Defence

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday. Marles warns the seabed has become a “battlefield”. Photo: Reuters

An underwater cable on the seabed is seen in this illustration. Recent incidents have highlighted the growing vulnerability of submarine cable infrastructure. Photo: Shutterstock

What to watch at Shangri-La Dialogue after Trump’s China visit resets ties

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s trip to this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue marks his fourth visit to the Indo-Pacific region as Pentagon chief. Photo: Reuters

Chinese, UK delegations discuss military engagement at Shangri-La Dialogue

Major General Meng Xiangqing, who is leading the Chinese delegation to Asia’s largest defence summit, meets with British military officials on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Major General Meng Xiangqing (centre) meets Britain’s Air Commodore Dom Stamp on Friday. Photo: Amber Wang

China defence chief Dong Jun tipped to skip this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue

Dong Jun pictured at last year’s Asean-China defence ministers’ lunch in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP

News

China

Military

In the wake of the Xi-Trump summit, the US and Chinese delegations dispense with the tough talk of previous years


In the wake of the Xi-Trump summit, the US and Chinese delegations dispense with the tough talk of previous years.


China dials down rhetoric but regional risks persist at Shangri-La Dialogue

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}In the wake of the Xi-Trump summit, the US and Chinese delegations dispense with the tough talk of previous years

In the wake of the Xi-Trump summit, the US and Chinese delegations dispense with the tough talk of previous years