China blasts Hegseth as defence minister avoids Singapore forum
[BEIJING] China lodged a protest over Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech at a defence forum in Singapore on Saturday, even as Beijing chose not to send its top military diplomat to the annual event.
Hegseth chided China during the Shangri-La Dialogue, noting how the nation didn't send a high-profile representative to the gathering. It was the first time Beijing hasn't sent a defence minister to the forum since 2019, depriving China from conducting diplomacy with top military officials from around the globe and pushing its vision for regional security.
In a statement on Sunday (Jun 1) responding to Hegseth's speech, China's Foreign Ministry called the US 'the true hegemonic country in the world and the primary factor that undermines peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region.' It added that the US 'must never play with fire' regarding Taiwan, after Hegseth warned that conflict over the island 'could be imminent.'
Departing from tradition, this year's Sunday programming didn't begin with a session focused on China, which is typically when the nation's chief military diplomat rebuts any accusations floated by speakers from the US and other allied nations the day before. The only session featuring a Chinese delegate this year saw him sidestep questions on the absence of Defence Minister Dong Jun, who attended a year ago.
'Every time we send the delegation on different levels – this is completely a normal work arrangement,' Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng, vice president of the National Defense University, said at a panel on Saturday. 'It'll not affect our explanation of our national defence policies, ideas and communication with others or enhancing mutual trust.'
In an X thread on Sunday, Chinese envoy to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong slammed Hegseth's remark a day earlier on Taiwan.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Sign Up
Sign Up
'If this is not sabre-rattling or fearmongering, then nothing is,' Wang wrote. 'It will be a stretch of imagination to think that many, if any at all, in the region would buy that unfounded, self-centric and delusional rhetoric,' he added.
The Chinese Embassy in Singapore has posted twice on Facebook since the start of the forum. It hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks that the global response to Russia's war in Ukraine should inform how the world might react to a Taiwan invasion, rejecting the comparison as 'unacceptable.'
It also criticised Hegseth's speech, labelling China as an imminent threat.
'Mr Hegseth repeatedly smeared and attacked China and relentlessly played up the so-called 'China threat,'' the embassy wrote. 'As a matter of fact, the US itself is the biggest 'troublemaker' for regional peace and stability.'
China's embassy in Singapore rarely comments publicly on the Shangri-La Dialogue, usually staying behind the scenes to coordinate with the visiting Chinese delegation.
Chinese military delegates were still active in asking questions in sessions. Senior Colonel Zhang Chi, an associate professor at the National Defence University, asked Hegseth about how the US would choose between allies and Asean when its multilateral frameworks do not include South-east Asian countries.
But outside of sessions, they stayed mum. It's a contrast to last year, when China held a record number of press briefings and its university delegates had roundtable discussions with the media.
Beijing hasn't officially explained why it downgraded its representation at this year's event. However, signs of frustration surfaced during a session on Sunday.
Senior Colonel Lu Yin, a professor at the PLA's National Defense University, attempted to ask a question at the forum but noted beforehand that her query about cooperation didn't seem to fit the atmosphere of the Shangri-La Dialogue. 'It seems that labeling China, blaming China, verbally attacking China are political right here,' she added.
Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said it wasn't ideal for China to miss an opportunity to send a defence minister to the forum and have exchanges with other countries. Given that Dong has travelled to the region and Europe before, he said, 'this loss is probably not that huge.'
Singapore's Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing also described it as a missed opportunity for China.
'If China perceives that the world does not respect China sufficiently, or do not understand China sufficiently, then it is incumbent upon China to use every opportunity possible, including the Shangri-La Dialogue, to get its voice heard, to make clear a stance, and to help others to understand why it's doing what it is doing,' Chan said on Sunday. BLOOMBERG
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
39 minutes ago
- CNA
Commentary: Why strongman politics will define US-China relations for now
SINGAPORE: During the Shangri-La Dialogue over the weekend, United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth alluded to America's war-fighting capabilities and characterised its foreign policy under Trump 2.0 as one of 'peace through strength'. This proclamation of strength is consistent with US President Donald Trump's approach to political relations since he took office. Soft power has been eschewed in place of a more muscular and transactional foreign policy. Interests - not ideology or values - would be the lens through which the US sees its relations with others. As Mr Hegseth himself put it: 'We are not here to pressure other countries to embrace or adopt our politics or ideology ... We respect you, your traditions and your militaries. And we want to work with you where our shared interests align.' PORTRAYING A STRONG AMERICA Indeed, we should not be surprised at this show of strength. During the US election campaigning last year, one of the key criticisms Mr Trump and the Republican Party had towards the Democrats was the weakness of then President Joe Biden's team. Mr Trump promised that under his watch, this would all change. Seen this way, the Trump administration's geopolitical manoeuvring stems from the belief that leaders of superpower states cannot afford to look weak - not least in front of their own people. Mr Trump's first show of might was to order a blanket tariff across American trading partners, using this as a tool to get other countries to acquiesce to US demands. His bet was that the US domestic market is too important to ignore and that countries worldwide would rather absorb the tariffs than risk losing access to American consumers. What is happening to US-China competition today is basically this: Both countries are overcompensating for years of engagement in which international cooperation have led to both having to make compromises domestically. From Washington's perspective, countries have gotten a free ride on its provision of public goods while Americans have not benefitted from US-led globalisation. As one foreign diplomat told me in a conversation during the SLD, the days of 'happy globalisation' is over. International relations have repercussions at home and domestic politics now frequently spill into foreign policy. According to the Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam, states are constantly engaged in a domestic-international interplay in their relations with each other whereby leaders must fulfil both international and domestic agendas. Ironically, Mr Trump has taken a leaf from the Chinese government playbook and its chief exponent of strongman politics - President Xi Jinping himself. XI'S PURSUIT OF NATIONAL SECURITY Beijing's priorities are strengthening national security and more importantly, ensuring the stability of the Chinese Communist Party. Since 2012, Mr Xi has gone on the offensive in his pursuit of domestic security while significantly limiting the ability of foreign forces to influence China. From political purges to corruption witch hunts, censorship of information deemed unfavourable to Beijing and wolf warrior diplomacy, Mr Xi hopes to project the face of a strong and uncompromising Chinese state. This is not unexpected given the perception that party discipline was lax under the policies of his predecessor Hu Jintao and those in power were mostly interested in individual pursuit of wealth and power without a broader commitment to the country's well-being. As described by journalist Wong Chun Han in his book Party Of One, Mr Xi is motivated primarily by 'historical grievances and a sense of civilisational destiny' and that his China is 'brash but brittle, intrepid yet insecure ... a would-be superpower in a hurry, eager to take on the world while wary of what may come'. This was mostly acutely seen in China's response to the Trump tariffs. Beijing refused to concede an inch when slapped with a 125 per cent 'reciprocal' tariff, and in turn raised levies on US imports and placed restrictions on American movies. Beijing's bet was American companies and industries could not stomach the short-term pain of financial losses as a result of restricted access to Chinese markets. Both countries were proven right: The temperature was eventually dialled down as both Washington and Beijing rolled back their tariff policies. However, it seems that the Trump administration is now opening a new front in its battle with China in the field of education, as seen by its ban on visas given to Chinese students. It remains to be seen how Beijing will respond. THE ROAD FORWARD While the possibility of a grand deal between Washington and Beijing looks even more remote than ever, this hostile climate may not be lasting. As folks in international relations would say, 'There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests'. Both Mr Trump and Mr Xi are overcompensating for what they view as years of benign neglect by their predecessors on the domestic front. At some point, their policies would hurt their countries' bottom lines. For instance, the Trump administration's visa curbs on institutions of higher educations will compromise American ability to attract talent from all over the world. Meanwhile, China would find it increasingly more challenging to gain trust abroad - even among those who are non-allied with the US. Given that both Mr Trump and Mr Xi cannot afford to look weak in front of their people, strongman politics will likely define the contours of US-China relations in the next few years.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump and China's Xi will likely speak this week, White House says
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping pose for a photo ahead of their bilateral meeting during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Trump and China's Xi will likely speak this week, White House says WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will likely speak this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, days after Trump accused China of violating an agreement to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions. Leavitt is the third top Trump aide to forecast an imminent call between the two leaders to iron out differences on last month's tariff agreement in Geneva, among larger trade issues. It was not immediately clear when the two leaders will speak. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that Trump and Xi would speak "very soon" to iron out trade issues including a dispute over critical minerals and China's restrictions of exports of certain minerals. Trump said on Friday he was sure that he would speak to Xi. China said in April that the two leaders had not had a conversation recently. Bessent led negotiations with China in Geneva last month that resulted in a temporary truce in the trade war between the world's two biggest economies, but progress since then has been slow, the U.S. Treasury chief told Fox News last week. The U.S.-China agreement to dial back triple-digit tariffs for 90 days prompted a massive relief rally in global stocks. But it did nothing to address the underlying reasons for Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods, mainly longstanding U.S. complaints about China's state-dominated, export-driven economic model, leaving those issues for future talks. A U.S. trade court on Wednesday ruled that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing the bulk of his tariffs on imports from China and other countries under an emergency powers act. But less than 24 hours later, a federal appeals court reinstated the tariffs, saying it was pausing the trade court ruling to consider the government's appeal. The appeals court ordered the plaintiffs to respond by June 5 and the administration to respond by June 9. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
French anti-terror prosecutor investigates killing of Tunisian national
PARIS - The French anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into whether the killing of a Tunisian national in southern France was a racially motivated crime "related to a terrorist undertaking". The Tunisian man, who has not been officially identified but is thought be around 35, was shot dead by a neighbour late on Saturday in the town of Puget-sur-Argens, the local prosecutor said. A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand and taken to hospital after the incident. The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office told Reuters on Monday that it was investigating charges of racially motivated assassination and attempted assassination related to a terrorist undertaking, as well as charges of involvement in a terrorist criminal group planning one or several violent crimes. The prosecutor for the southern commune of Draguignan said on Sunday that the suspect was a 53-year-old man who practises shooting as a sport and who published what it said was hateful and racist content on his social media account before and after Saturday's killing. The killing follows the fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old man from Mali, in a mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe last month amid what official figures suggest is rising racism in France. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned Saturday's shooting, saying on x that "racism must be severely punished." Political opponents have said his stances on immigration and Islam have contributed to rising levels of hate crime. French police recorded an 11% rise in racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes last year, according to official data published in March. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than 6 million and making up about 10% of the country's population. Some French politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron, have criticised what they describe as Islamist separatism in a way that rights groups have said stigmatises Muslims and amounts to discrimination. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
