China likely to top agenda at Shangri-La talksーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
Defense officials from Asia and the West have started a three-day conference in Singapore known as the Shangriila Dialogue. All eyes are on China, which is throwing its weight around Taiwan and flexing its muscles in the South China Sea. US Defense Secretary Pete Hex is at the meeting, but his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun is staying away. NHK was Napad Konwad joins us from the venue. So napad America showed up to the talks but China is a no-show. What are both sides thinking? While the Trump administration is seen as inwardlooking, the US is reaffirming its commitment to regional security. In March, Hexes visited Manila and pledged to increase deterrence in the Indoacific, saying Chinese aggression threatens the region. US military support for the Philippines grew under Biden and that strengthened partnership continues today. But there are questions over just how much the Trump administration, whose slogan is America first, will stay engaged in regional security, including defending its allies. Experts point out that because of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, not enough US military resources are allocated to the Indoacific. So, the spotlight will be on Hexus’s speech on Saturday. His audience will want to know exactly how the US plans to contribute to Asia security and whether allies will be asked to pay more. Meanwhile, China has sent its defense minister to the past four editions of the talks, but not this time. The country’s presence is limited to top officials of militarymies. Experts say Beijing may have wanted to avoid dragging the ongoing tariff dispute into the security arena. So what stances do Southeast Asian countries have toward the US and China? The Philippines is locking horns with China over territorial claims in the South China Sea. It’s hoping for continued military support from the US. But what worries Southeast Asian countries the most right now is Trump’s tariffs. At the Azan summit in Malaysia earlier this week, the block showed a common front against the US duties. Chinese pre P premier Li Chang chimed in and called for cooperation against the terrorists. One expert had this to say on regional trade. Trade is just incredibly important across the Indopacific region and the US approach is very confrontational and especially with many countries in Southeast Asia, the initially promised reciprocal tariffs were very high. And so I do think that we’ll see concerns raised about US trade policy. Terms tariffs are seen affecting not just the world economy but also security in this part of the world. That’s
Annual security talks known as the Shangri-La Dialogue get underway in Singapore, with China’s growing assertiveness in focus and US tariffs in the background. #asia #china #usa #politics
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