China and US Spar at Shangri-La Dialogue

Policy Alert #190 | June 11, 2019

On May 31-June 2, 2019, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) hosted the eighteenth Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The annual meeting serves as a forum for Asian leaders, especially defense ministers, to gather to discuss pressing issues in regional security. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tackled the looming elephant in the room by addressing the tension between China and the United States head-on in his keynote speech at the dialogue: “Our world is at a turning point. Globalisation is under siege. Tensions between the US and China are growing and, like everyone else, we in Singapore are anxious. We wonder what the future holds and how countries can collectively find a way forward to maintain peace and prosperity in the world.” With the stage set, Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan fired the first shots in a tense exchange of critiques between the two countries by hinting at the US’s commitment to Taiwanese self-determination in his speech at the event. Although officials from Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam were present to weigh-in on other topics, the drama between China and the US appeared to steal the show. With the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Group of Twenty (G20) Summits fast-approaching, how are the Rising Powers responding to the Shangri-La Dialogue fracas?

 

CHINA

State Councilor and Minister of National Defence General Wei Fenghe attended the dialogue this year, marking the first attendance by a Chinese Defense Minister in eight years. General Wei’s speech at the Dialogue drew much attention for his resolute dismissal of Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan’s comments: “If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military has no choice but to fight at all costs for national unity. Hereby, I have a message for the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] authorities and the external forces. Firstly, no attempts to split China would succeed. Secondly, any foreign intervention in the Taiwan question is doomed to failure. […] Thirdly, any underestimation of the [People’s Liberation Army]’s resolve and will is extremely dangerous. We will strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and greatest efforts, but we make no promise to renounce the use of force. Safeguarding national unity is a sacred duty of the PLA.” Following the Dialogue, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang offered support for Defense Minister Wei’s efforts at the event and detailed the Foreign Ministry’s position: “The pursuit of peace, development and win-win cooperation is an unstoppable trend of the times and the shared aspiration of people all over the world. Any proposal on regional cooperation by any country should be in line with this trend and aspiration, or it will not gain universal support. By hyping up military undertones and confrontation, a country will only end up hurting itself. We hope the US will consider its own interests and the common interests of regional countries and contribute to regional peace, stability and development.”

 

INDIA

India was notably absent from this year’s dialogue, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at last year’s event. Modi was the first Indian leader to attend the event. This year, however, Modi was busy with his own swearing-in ceremony following his party’s landslide victory in recent elections. As the Economic Times reported, IISS sought the attendance of a senior official this year, but the timing of the event–only a day after the government resumed office–left little time to prepare.

 

JAPAN

Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya offered a speech during a session on Korean Security, but prefaced his comments with a demonstration of support for Acting US Defense Secretary Shanahan, at least with regards to US policy on the Indo-Pacific: “Before moving on to my discussion about Korean Security, I note Acting Secretary of Defense Shanahan’s comprehensive speech about the security of the Indo- Pacific region. I welcome the strong U.S. commitment to the vision of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, or FOIP, as evident in the overview of the ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy Report’ in the previous session. I am most confident that all those present here today share the same vision.”

 

RPI acknowledges support from the MacArthur Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York for its activities.