China, US lose chance for military talks as Covid-19 halts Shangri-La Dialogue

Name: Washington’s hardened position on Beijing’s claims in South China Sea heightens US-China tensions
Uploaded: 2021-05-22T04:00:12.000Z
Duration: 2 min 32 s
Description: Washington’s hardened position on Beijing’s claims in South China Sea heightens US-China tensions

Annual security forum, due to be held in June, is cancelled in the light of host Singapore’s coronavirus battles

Military sources say the cancellation denies China and the US an important platform for military-to-military exchange

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Defence ministers and fellow delegates last gathered for the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2019. Photo: AFP

Minnie Chan

Published: 12:00pm, 22 May 2021Updated: 10:55pm, 22 May 2021

Chinese military officials and their American counterparts have lost an important opportunity for face-to-face engagement after the cancellation of a major regional security forum for a second year running because of the coronavirus.

The cancellation of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Singapore, which was scheduled for June 4-5, was confirmed on Thursday by its organiser the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

“In Singapore there has been a rise in local cases, recently introduced new restrictions, and the prospect of further tightening cannot be ruled out – all of which creates uncertainty,” the IISS, a British think tank, said in a statement.

“Taken together, these various factors mean that holding an in-person Shangri-La Dialogue this year has become unviable.”

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Washington’s hardened position on Beijing’s claims in South China Sea heightens US-China tensions

The decision follows the cancellation of the World Economic Forum, which was supposed to take place in the city state in August.