All eyes on US and China during Asian Security Summit

US and Chinese defense ministers will meet today for the first time in a year and a half during the Shangri-La Dialogue, the annual Asian security conference. Friso Tüppelbauer, a political scientist at the Leiden Asia Center, considers the situation in the South China Sea ‘worrisome’. Both superpowers seek to avoid conflict, but differ greatly in their approach.

when Security Conference Top political and military figures in Singapore talk to each other. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun will also be involved in the talks. The conference continues till Sunday.

Magnifying glass

The meeting has been put under a magnifying glass as it is the first time the two ministers are meeting each other again in a year and a half. China cuts ties after Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan There are many topics on the table. ‘We regularly see conflicts in the South China Sea, and it has been tense around Taiwan, most recently around the inauguration of a new president.’ But since 2022, the interaction between US and Chinese military has been zero. America in particular is pushing for this reorganization.

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‘The Chinese don’t want to do that much at the moment. “Expectations for the talks at Shanri-La are not very high,” says Dupbelboer. Both sides will dig in their heels. The Americans, who believe the Americans should not be in the South China Sea at all to improve that communication, are unnecessary. ‘The positions are nautical miles apart.’

However, both sides prefer to avoid conflict.

It’s a ‘worrying’ situation, Dupbelbohr outlines. And not just because of tensions around Taiwan and the South China Sea. The Japanese have announced plans to invest heavily in the military, and China has been training with several countries, including Cambodia. “The good thing is that all the big guys are in Singapore now.”

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