China Is Too Big for Shangri-La

Article excerpt

China's defense minister skipped the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major regional security forum in Singapore, signaling Beijing's growing confidence and willingness to bypass multilateral forums. The absence of China's top military official from one of Asia's most important defense conferences underscores a shift in how the country engages with traditional diplomatic channels. Rather than participate in discussions with U.S., Japanese, and Southeast Asian defense leaders, China demonstrated it no longer feels compelled to attend such gatherings. The snub reflects Beijing's assessment that it can pursue its strategic interests independently, even as regional tensions over Taiwan and maritime disputes remain high.