China's absence felt at Shangri-La Dialogue, Singapore's defence chief says
Singapore's defence minister has said attendees at a premier security summit hosted by his country would have wanted China's defence chief to be present to avoid misunderstandings, as the absence of a high-ranking leader from Beijing continues to reverberate on the second day of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD).
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Speaking to the media on Saturday following a closed-door ministerial roundtable, a regular feature at the SLD for minister-level attendees, Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said most at the session would have hoped for the Chinese delegation to attend.
'I think it will be fair to say that most if not everyone around the table would have hoped for the presence of the Chinese delegation because the Shangri-La Dialogue has continued to grow over all these years [...] and that's because many people found it useful; a useful platform to exchange perspectives,' Chan said.
China did not send Defence Minister Dong Jun to the SLD, a departure from its practice since 2019. Instead, a delegation from the National Defence University is in Singapore to attend the forum, which began on Friday and will last till Sunday.
Singapore's Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing (back row, second left) speaks as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and other defence ministers look on during a ministerial roundtable at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Meanwhile, Chan, who hosted the roundtable for the first time as Singapore's defence chief, said there might be disagreements among ministers of various countries, but it was important that the platform minimised any chance of miscalculations or misinterpretations.
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