Bypassing the Shangri-La Dialogue, China and the U.S. have specially arranged a face-to-face military dialogue! On June 1, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao from Singapore, the two militaries held the 2026 working group meeting under the China-U.S. Maritime Military Safety Consultation Mechanism in Hawaii, USA. The face-to-face dialogue took place from May 28 to 29. Both sides unanimously agreed that effective communication between the two militaries helps frontline troops carry out missions more professionally, enhances mutual understanding, and prevents misunderstandings or miscalculations.

Evidently, this face-to-face dialogue between China and the U.S. is highly unusual in timing. The Shangri-La Dialogue is scheduled for May 29 to 31, and the very opening day of this year’s summit coincides exactly with the conclusion of the China-U.S. maritime security consultation meeting in Hawaii. Normally, China and the U.S. could have conducted their consultations at the Shangri-La Dialogue; yet why did both sides deliberately bypass this forum? This intentional arrangement clearly indicates there must be deeper reasons behind it.

On the most superficial level, it's likely neither country views the Shangri-La Summit as an appropriate platform for discussing specific military issues. The reality is plain: the Shangri-La Dialogue is a multilateral, public forum gathering defense representatives from multiple countries, fully open to media coverage. Such an open setting and atmosphere are inherently unsuitable for delving into intricate and classified tactical details regarding naval operations.

In contrast, the bilateral closed-door talks in Hawaii effectively shield external media interference, allowing both sides to set aside diplomatic formalities and confront core issues directly. Conversely, this fact once again demonstrates that China and the U.S. are not lacking channels for communication. While the Shangri-La Dialogue needs Chinese and American participation to raise its profile and visibility, China and the U.S. do not necessarily need the Shangri-La Dialogue for their own dialogues. Given the forum’s consistent tone and agenda, choosing not to send a high-level delegation is entirely appropriate.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866807197635930/

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