Chinese high-level officials won't attend Shangri-La Dialogue; Xiangshan Forum is becoming even more "fragrant"
The Shangri-La Dialogue will be held in Singapore from May 29 to 31. This time, China did not send a representative at the level of Minister of National Defense or Vice Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army as in previous years, but instead dispatched Major General Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the National Defense University, to lead the delegation. As a result, the original plenary session theme—“China’s Partnership in the Asia-Pacific Region”—was temporarily changed to “Managing Regional Tensions Amid Global Competition.”
This conference is jointly organized by the UK-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Singaporean government. Its primary function is dialogue and exchange, with no decision-making authority. However, it often turns into confrontations and heated arguments, failing to foster mutual understanding or build consensus—especially when certain countries unite to attack China.
Therefore, China’s interest in the Shangri-La Dialogue has been steadily declining. Lowering the rank of its representatives is a natural response, and having scholars participate in free discussions is sufficient.
In contrast, China places greater emphasis on its own Xiangshan Forum, which attracts more participating countries and features more meaningful discussions. In other words, the Xiangshan Forum is now more “fragrant” than the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866511375098880/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.