China threat set to dominate Singapore security talks – DW – 05/30/2025
05/30/2025
May 30, 2025
Defense officials from around the world are gathering in Singapore for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue. French President Emmanuel Macron is set to give the keynote speech. Discussions are expected to focus on the growing military threat from China.
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DW
15 hours ago
- DW
US Defense Secretary warns of 'imminent' China threat – DW – 05/31/2025
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has called on Indo-Pacific allies to increase their defense spending in the face of a "real" threat from China. Hegseth made the remarks at the Shangri-La security summit in Singapore. United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday cautioned that China was "credibly preparing to potentially use military force" in a bid to reorder the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Hegseth was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier defence forum, being held in Singapore. China's army is "rehearsing for the real deal," the Pentagon chief said, highlighting how the Indo-Pacific region was a priority for President Donald Trump's administration. "We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent," he said. Hegseth pushes Asian allies to boost defense spending Hegseth reassured Washington's allies in the Indo-Pacific region that they would not be abandoned to tackle the growing military and economic pressures from Beijing. He called on the Asian allies to bolster their own defense spending, adding that "deterrence doesn't come on the cheap." "It's hard to believe a little bit... that I'm saying this, but thanks to President Trump, Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example," said Hegseth, pointing to pledges by NATO members including Germany to move toward Trump's spending target of 5% of GDP, which is a higher percentage of GDP than the US currently spends on defense. China threat set to dominate Singapore security talks To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video US defense secretary on China's territorial ambitions Hegseth on Saturday said any attempt by China to invade Taiwan "would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world." Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the People's Liberation Army to be able to take Taiwan by 2027, a deadline which experts view more as an aspirational goal than a hard war deadline. Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory. The US defense secretary reiterated Trump's remark that China would not conquer Taiwan under Trump's watch. Hegseth also called out China for its power designs in Latin America, particularly its efforts to step up its influence around the Panama Canal. Edited by: Sean Sinico
DW
a day ago
- DW
Shangri-La Dialogue: Macron seeks new EU-Asia alliance – DW – 05/30/2025
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for unity in the face of China-Russian desires to create "spheres of coercion." He delivered his plea at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore. French President Emmanuel Macron opened the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense and security conference held in Singapore, with a keynote address on Friday that was laced with calls for European and Asian countries to form an alliance against what he described as "spheres of coercion" sought by some major powers — a veiled reference to China and Russia. Macron's comments came as Moscow thumbs its nose at the West by ignoring international outcry and calls for an end to its invasion of Ukraine, and concerns grow that China may make good on its threat to take control of Taiwan as it continues to assert its strength in the South China Sea. "We have a challenge of revisionist countries that want to impose… under the name of spheres of influence… spheres of coercion," said Macron. "Countries that want to control areas from the fringes of Europe to the archipelagos in the South China Sea... that want to appropriate resources, whether fishing or mineral, and crowd out others for their benefit," he continued. Macron's speech came on the heels of a tour of Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore in which the French politician sought to present his country as a reliable defense and business partner for countries caught between the US and China. Both Washington and Beijing have exasperated regional leaders who must navigate US President Donald Trump's ceaseless tariff threats and Chinese President Xi Jinping's carrot and stick approach to cooperation. China threat set to dominate Singapore security talks To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Rising tension between the two has only made life more difficult for countries in the region, prompting Macron to urge countries to "build a positive new alliance between Europe and Asia, based on our common norms, on our common principles." "Our shared responsibility is to ensure with others that our countries are not collateral victims of the imbalances linked to the choices made by the superpowers," Macron said. The French president also used his speech to warn against complacency among those present when it comes to support for Ukraine, which many might think matters less to the region due to the fact that it may seem a far-away problem. "If we consider that Russia could be allowed to take a part of the territory of Ukraine without any restriction, without any constraint, without any reaction of the global order," he said, adding: "How would you phrase what could happen in Taiwan? What would you do the day something happens in the Philippines?" Although regional democracies like Australia, Japan and South Korea have actively supported Ukraine, China and North Korea have helped keep Moscow's war going with financial and material support — with Pyongyang even sending troops to the front lines. EU seeks solid, amicable business and defense partnerships in Asia France recently stressed the need to "preserve a rules-based international order" in the face of "China's increasing power and territorial claims" and Beijing's seesawing competition with the US in its latest Indo-Pacific strategy paper. Although EU countries have tended to focus on their business ties to nations in the region, they have also participated in numerous freedom of navigation exercises in the face of China's growing military assertiveness. After meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Martin Wong earlier on Friday, Macron said: "We are neither China nor the US, we don't want to depend on either of them." "We want to cooperate with both as far as we can, and we can cooperate for growth and prosperity and stability for our people and the world order, and I think this is exactly the same view of a lot of countries and a lot of people of this region," he added." Wong agreed, saying, "We want to embrace comprehensive engagement with all parties and embrace win-win arrangements rather than zero-sum competition." China breaks tradition, sends low-level representatives to conference The Shangri-La Dialogue, which is hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies (IISS) and runs through Sunday, was first held in 2002 and facilitates high-level meetings between defense ministers from across the globe. It has also long been seen as a barometer for US-China relations. Moreover, it has offered a rare opportunity for US and Chinese defense ministers to meet face-to-face. This year, however, Beijing has not dispatched its defense minister, but rather a senior official from the People's Liberation Army's National Defense University. US-China tensions test ties between ASEAN members To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Concerns about US commitment to the Indo-Pacific Leaders in the region have also been uneasy regarding US commitments since Donald Trump returned to office in January. Not only has Trump turned global stock markets on their head as he pursues his trade war with Beijing, he has also punished allies in the region with massive tariffs as well. Furthermore, there is concern over Washington's commitment to defend Taiwan. Before departing for Singapore, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters: "We seek no conflict with anybody, including the Communist Chinese. We will stay strong for our interests. And that's a big part of what this trip is all about." The US views China's failure to send high-level representatives as a potential opening, with Hegseth saying, "We can't account for whether China engages or not. All we know is that we're here. And we will be here." Who will blink first in US-China trade war? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The trip is Hegseth's second to the region since his appointment. In March, he traveled to the Philippines and Japan. It is unclear if his visits will be enough to ease regional concerns over Trump's willingness to stand by their side in the face of Chinese saber-rattling. The US leader has so far projected a straight-up transactional — if not to say coercive — approach to relations, as well as an attitude averse to foreign engagement despite Washington's pursuit of a "free and open Indo-Pacific." US, China and Ukraine not the only security issues being discussed Although Macron's Friday speech emphasized the importance of European and Asian commitments to cooperation and unity when it comes to trade, defense and Ukraine, those are not the only issues that will be addressed at the three-day event. Among the raft of other pressing issues the conference will address are the continuing civil war in Myanmar (ongoing since May 2021) and the outbreak of violence between Thailand and Cambodia this week in a border skirmish. Perhaps gravest of all, however, is the flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan in Kashmir. Kashmir residents still wary of India-Pakistan ceasefire To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Although a truce has been declared in the current conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors, dozens of people have been killed by gunfire, missile strikes and drone attacks as the two nations engage in their most serious military confrontation in decades. Neither India nor Pakistan have sent defense ministers to Singapore, opting instead to dispatch senior military delegations. No meetings are scheduled to take place between the two. Edited by: Zac Crellin
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Int'l Business Times
Navalny Widow, Media Watchdog To Launch TV Channel
The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and Reporters Without Borders will launch a television channel to "promote free speech in Russia", the press freedom advocacy group said on Friday. The channel, named Future of Russia, will be broadcast via the Svoboda Satellite project, which is available across Russia, Reporters Without Borders said. The channel will launch on Wednesday, June 4, the day Navalny would have turned 49. In March, the media watchdog, known by its French acronym RSF, launched a package of satellite news channels catering to Russia, much of it produced by Russian journalists forced to leave the country after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The Svoboda package is available to 4.5 million households in Russia and around 800,000 households in occupied Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders. Jim Phillipoff, project director of Svoboda Satellite, said cooperation was first proposed by Navalny's right-hand man Leonid Volkov. "Then we jointly created this concept," he told AFP. "But only recently did we receive the funding to make it possible," Phillipoff added. "Because there is no independent news in Russia it is all the more important to have alternative viewpoints," he said. He said that Russia relied on satellite for about 45 percent of television reception. "The majority of the satellite signals are provided through the French company, Eutelsat, our partner in this project," he added. The charismatic Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's main opponent, suddenly died in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, 2024. His family and supporters say he was killed on orders from Putin. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue Navalny's fight from exile. Navalny had been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for a decade by probing corruption among officials and leading large protests throughout Russia. He peppered the internet with slickly produced videos, all beginning with his laconic catchphrase "Privet, eto Navalny!" ("Hi, this is Navalny!"). "We will use much of the content that they are currently producing for their YouTube channels, Popular Politics, Navalny Live, Alexei Navalny and others," Phillipoff said, referring to the late politician's team in exile. "We are also discussing ideas for exclusive content for the channel, but we don't produce any content ourselves." After Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has outlawed all forms of public dissent and banned independent media. With all top Kremlin critics either behind bars or in exile, Navalny's legacy has been fading in Russia. Alexei Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue his fight from exile AFP
