On June 2, Asia's leading security forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue, officially opened in Singapore.
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| The 20th Shangri-La Dialogue is considered an 'invaluable' event with many bilateral and multilateral meetings. |
The 20th Shangri-La Dialogue - an event that attracts senior military officials, diplomats, arms manufacturers and security analysts from around the world - took place from June 2-4.
More than 600 delegates from 49 countries will attend the forum, which will open with a keynote speech by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the evening of June 2.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu will give speeches over the weekend.
Analysts say the event is invaluable as it opens up many bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the plenary sessions and will feature speeches by defense ministers.
However, on May 29, the Pentagon said that Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu refused to meet with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin.
The conflict in Ukraine, Taiwan (China) and North Korea's weapons programs were also high on the agenda for many delegates, according to analysts. No delegates from Russia or North Korea attended the forum.
The increasingly fierce rivalry between the US and China is expected to dominate the weekend conference, Reuters reported.
Lynn Kuok, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank that organizes the Shangri-La Dialogue, said she is not optimistic about an improvement in US-China relations.
Other important issues likely to be discussed include tensions in the South China Sea and East China Sea regions.
Security ties within the US-UK-Australia (AUKUS) trilateral agreement as well as within the Quad grouping (the US, Japan, India and Australia) are also expected to emerge, especially amid China’s concerns about the grouping’s intentions.
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