China sends ‘highest-profile’ team to Shangri-La Dialogue amid rising US tensions
- Beijing upgrades representation at Asian security forum, with delegation led by Defence Minister Wei Fenghe
- Military officials now see event as an important platform to promote position and seek support from neighbours
Asia’s annual three-day security forum, which began on Friday, has become a diplomatic battlefield between Beijing and Washington in recent years, as the two powers spar over a range of issues – from trade to the contested South China Sea.
Washington is set to unveil details of a “new phase” in its Indo-Pacific strategy – aimed at containing China’s military expansion in the region – in a speech on Saturday by the acting defence secretary, Patrick Shanahan.
Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe, meanwhile, will respond to the US strategy on Sunday, and is expected to call for international support on South China Sea issues.
John Chipman, director general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which co-organises the forum with Singapore, said earlier that Wei would “speak on China’s role in the Asia-Pacific at a pivotal time for the region”.
