
China Defense Minister Skips Singapore Forum Attended by Hegseth
China indicated it will not send its top military diplomat to a key defense forum in Asia for the first time since 2019, preventing a potential first encounter with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
China will be represented by a delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defense University at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, a spokesman from the Defense Ministry said at a briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
22 minutes ago
- Forbes
The AI Era Enters Its Sovereign Phase
Generative AI adoption started in late 2022 with public adoption of models like ChatGPT and Llama. As it drives towards its next phase of value creation with reasoning, also referred to as agentic AI, it has recently crossed the boundary from a consumer-centric application into an enterprise application. Right on the heels of this adoption is also another phase of value creation – Sovereign AI. What Is Sovereign AI? Sovereign AI refers to artificial intelligence that is developed, maintained, and controlled within a specific nation's or organization's jurisdiction, ensuring independence from external influences. This artificial intelligence is designed to align with local regulations, ethical standards, and strategic priorities, allowing governments and enterprises to maintain autonomy over their AI-driven operations. The Opportunity To Reign Supreme (Or At Least Be At The Front Of The Pack) Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently stated that 'AI is now an essential form of national infrastructure – just like energy, telecommunications and the internet.' Indeed, many leading countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Denmark and the United Arab Emirates have launched sovereign AI initiatives. Stargate is an example of such an initiative from the United States. Additionally, leading AI enablers like Nvidia and OpenAI, have initiatives targeted specifically at helping entities establish their own sovereign AI capabilities. Sovereign AI is particularly crucial in areas like national security, defense, and critical infrastructure, where reliance on foreign AI models could pose risks related to data privacy, cybersecurity, or geopolitical dependencies. By building and maintaining custom AI capabilities, nations and organizations can safeguard their technological sovereignty while fostering innovation tailored to their unique needs. Moving Forward With Sovereign AI While this is a gross oversimplification of how complicated this task is for national leaders to undertake, the following are some critical areas that must be addressed in embarking on the sovereign AI journey: To this end, AI enablers like Nvidia and leading countries such as France have started to organize events. For example, at the upcoming Viva Technology event in Paris this coming June, Jensen Huang and Nvidia have organized a dedicated GTC event where interested parties can learn more. As mentioned earlier, it is important to keep in mind that sovereign AI isn't necessarily limited to national entities. Any sufficiently capable entity, whether they be nations, companies, organizations or universities interested in securing their own AI systems and capabilities from data curation and model creation to specified and focused outcomes can take advantage of sovereign AI.


Fox News
29 minutes ago
- Fox News
Navy ship USNS Harvey Milk to be renamed as part of Pentagon's 'warrior culture' shift
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the renaming of a U.S. Navy ship named after San Francisco gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The Military Times first reported on a memorandum issued by the Office of the Secretary of the Navy rolling out plans to rename the oiler USNS Harvey Milk. The outlet reported that a defense official said the U.S. Navy was making preparations to strip the ship of its name and that Hegseth had directed Navy Secretary John Phelan to do so. The Military Times also reported the official saying the timing of the announcement during Pride month was intentional. The memo directing the renaming of the ship said the move is meant to mark a shift in culture in the Department of Defense and U.S. Navy in "alignment with president and SECDEF [secretary of defense] objectives and SECNAV [secretary of the Navy] priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture," according to the outlet. Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Defense and U.S. Navy but did not receive a response. In an emailed statement sent to Fox News, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell did not deny the renaming of the ship but indicated that further name changes may be coming. "Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos," said Parnell. Parnell said that "any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete." The USNS Harvey Milk was named after Milk in 2016 during the Obama administration. The ship completed its maiden voyage in 2024, arriving in San Francisco with much fanfare. According to the Harvey Milk Foundation, Milk was a "visionary civil and human rights leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States" when he was elected to public office in San Francisco in 1977. The foundation said that Milk enlisted in the Navy in 1951 but resigned in 1955 at the rank of lieutenant junior grade "after being officially questioned about his sexual orientation." The renaming has been soundly condemned by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who called the move a "shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream." "As the rest of us are celebrating the joy of Pride Month, it is my hope that the Navy will reconsider this egregious decision," Pelosi said in a statement. Pelosi claimed that "this spiteful move … is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country."


Bloomberg
31 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Top China Diplomat Blasts ‘Negative Moves' by US in Envoy Meet
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi used his first meeting with new US Ambassador David Perdue to complain about recent actions by Washington, underscoring a downturn in relations between the world's two biggest economies. 'Unfortunately, the US has recently introduced a series of negative measures on unfounded grounds, undermining China's legitimate rights and interests,' Wang said during the sitdown in Beijing, according to a Chinese government statement.