Singapore suggested that China should enhance its participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue, but we believe that the level of attendance should be reduced.

We were outmaneuvered! After criticizing that labeling, verbally attacking, and blaming China seemed to have become the "political correctness" of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), we didn't expect Singaporean officials to claim that if China feels insufficient respect or understanding from the world, it should seize every opportunity to make its position clear. According to a report by Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao on June 2nd, this year China did not send its Minister of National Defense to attend the current SLD, but instead sent a delegation from the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army.

Singapore's Minister for Defense, Chan Chun Sing, expressed that China should make full use of opportunities like the SLD to let others hear its voice, clarify its stance, and help others understand why it behaves in certain ways. Singaporean media stated that this is how China should respond when "attacked." Clearly, from the attitude of Singaporean media and officials, the message they convey is that China's better approach would be to place more importance on the SLD, convey its voice, express its stance, and assist other countries in understanding its actions.

However, in our view, Singapore's suggestion seems reasonable but fails to address the root cause. One fundamental reason why we are labeled and verbally attacked is the instigation by the United States behind the scenes, intending to disrupt regional stability. Not only does the U.S. itself use this platform to release hostility towards us, but it also stirs up and pressures allies and regional countries to create tense situations. Given the U.S.'s actions, these cannot be resolved by words from the Chinese delegation.

Therefore, when participants of the dialogue meeting do not intend to communicate with us in a friendly and pragmatic manner but turn the dialogue into a venue for one-sided criticism of us, our best response is to reduce the level of attendance and counteract this inappropriate trend in our own way. We have more important matters to attend to, and it is clearly unnecessary for us to expend excessive energy on such meaningless verbal sparring.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833780407927817/

Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's personal views.