Growing alarm over China's expanding military posture dominates Shangri-La Dialogue

SBS Australia

01-06-2025

In Singapore, tensions and alliances were on full display at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major security summit that has become the most important defence forum in the Asia-Pacific. Growing alarm over China's expanding military posture and its nuclear ambitions. The strongest warnings came from Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, who says China's rapid nuclear expansion and military buildup is reshaping the region's security landscape. 'We are invested in shaping the geostrategic environment. China's decision to pursue rapid nuclear modernisation and expansion, which aims, in part, to reach parity with or surpass the United States, is another reason the future of strategic arms control must be revitalised.' He also has warned of the dangers of weapons of mass destruction, saying arms control frameworks need to be strengthened to keep up with growing risks and advances in technology across the Pacific and elsewhere. "China's decision to pursue rapid nuclear modernisation and expansion, which aims in part to reach parity with or surpass the United States, is another reason the future of strategic arms control must be revitalised. We also have to counter the grim, potentially imminent, possibility of another wave of global nuclear proliferation as states seek security in a new age of imperial ambition." The remarks came after United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed America's commitment to the Indo-Pacific, describing it as a strategic priority. He issued this stark warning. "It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. We know. It's public that (Chinese President) Xi (Jinping) has ordered his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027. The PLA is building the military needed to do it, training for it everyday and rehearsing for the real deal. ... Any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world." At the same forum, Mr Hegseth urged nations across the region to ramp up their defence spending, suggesting a benchmark of five per cent of GDP, in line with recent NATO commitments. In response, Mr Marles acknowledged the indispensable role of the United States, but stressed that the responsibility can't lie with Washington alone. "The commitment underscored by U-S Secretary of Defense Hegseth today, that the Indo-Pacific is the United States strategic priority is deeply welcomed. Reality is that there is no effective balance of power in this region, absent the United States. But we cannot leave it to the United States alone. Other countries must contribute to this balance as well and that includes Australia." That commitment was reinforced in a high-level trilateral meeting between defence chiefs from the US, Australia and Japan. Held on the sidelines of the summit, the meeting saw the three allies agree to expand their joint military exercises and strengthen cooperation on defence technology. 'This trilateral work is truly critical to deterring China and maintaining peace and strength in the Indo-Pacific. America's alliances with Japan and Australia are built on common values, common shared interests, and common sense. ... We're also streamlining rotational deployments in Australia and Japan while enhancing our combined strategic planning.' But not everyone at the summit welcomed the rhetoric. Beijing's representative, Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng, struck back at the growing alignment between Western and regional powers, accusing them of fear-mongering and misrepresentation. 'We do not accept groundless accusations against China. Some of the claims are completely fabricated, some distort facts, and some are cases of a thief crying 'stop thief.' These actions are nothing more than attempts to provoke trouble, incite division, and stir up confrontation to destabilise the Asia-Pacific region. This goes against the trend of the times, lacks popular support, and is bound to fail.' China's Defence Minister Dong Jun was notably absent from this year's conference, in what was seen as a diplomatic snub amid rising tensions over U-S tariffs and growing defence ties between Washington, Canberra, and Tokyo. President Emmanuel Macron made it clear that while France supports strategic autonomy, it cannot promise military involvement in any potential conflict involving China in the Pacific. 'Our role is not to be a substitute to anybody, but our role is to work for ourselves to improve our strategic autonomy, meaning our own capacity to protect our sole, but through the cooperation we have to help the ASEAN countries to do the same for themselves, and to reduce on both sides our dependencies. And we have to do it at a time when there is an increase in the threats and the strategic risks.'
Mr Macron also used his address to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and mutual recognition of a Palestinian state.