Editorial | Shangri-La Dialogue a place to ease tensions, not inflame China threat
Attack on Beijing by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the security forum proves to be counterproductive and fails to win friends
The Shangri-La Dialogue, held annually in Singapore, has long provided a useful platform for discussion of Asia’s security issues.
But the United States used the region’s premier security conference last weekend to launch a provocative attack on China, a move that fanned flames, rather than easing concerns.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth accused China of wanting to “fundamentally alter the region’s status quo”. The threat, he said, was “real” and “could be imminent”.
He referred to the South China Sea and Taiwan. Hegseth urged US partners and allies to join it in countering what he described as China’s aggression.
Beijing could not let the strongly worded allegations go unanswered. Hu Gangfeng, a People’s Liberation Army major general, dismissed them as “groundless”.
Hegseth’s comments, Hu said, aimed to stir up trouble and incite confrontation, destabilising the region. China’s defence and foreign ministries issued statements condemning the US accusations.
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US defence chief Pete Hegseth warns of ‘imminent’ China threat during Shangri-La Dialogue