China Skips Key Asia Defense Forum Again, Germany Warns of Risk
CNBC reported Saturday that Germany’s top military official is warning China is throwing away a critical diplomatic opportunity. The warning came from the sidelines of Asia’s most important annual defense gathering.
China Absent From Singapore Defense Forum
Germany’s chief of defense, General Carsten Breuer, said Beijing is squandering its chance at high-level engagement. He made the remarks at a media roundtable during the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The forum is considered Asia’s premier security conference, drawing defense ministers and senior military officials from dozens of nations.
China’s defense minister Dong Jun skipped the event for a second consecutive year. Beijing sent a lower-level delegation instead, led by Major General Meng Xiangqing of the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University. The reduced presence drew pointed criticism from several attending officials.
Breuer Calls the Moment Historically Dangerous
Breuer did not mince words about what is at stake. Drawing on four decades of military service, he described the current global environment as uniquely threatening. He urged all nations to treat every available forum as a chance to exchange views and challenge assumptions. Avoiding those opportunities, he argued, only compounds the risk.
He acknowledged that working-level contact with the Chinese delegation did continue in Singapore. Still, Breuer made clear that higher-level dialogue would serve everyone’s interests far better.
A Different Read From the Philippines
Not every official at the conference felt the absence was significant. Philippines National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told CNBC the Chinese delegation appeared focused primarily on advancing its government’s official positions rather than engaging genuinely. He said that posture made the delegation’s reduced attendance largely inconsequential from his perspective.
Washington Also Raises Pressure
The German general’s remarks landed on the same day that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used the forum to issue a direct challenge to Beijing. Hegseth declared that no country, China included, could seek regional dominance while threatening the security and prosperity of American allies.
The combination of German frustration and American confrontation illustrates the growing pressure on Beijing to reengage multilateral security forums. China has yet to respond publicly to this year’s criticism.
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