For the region's military officers, diplomats, weapons manufacturers and spies, there are few livelier places than the lobby of Singapore's Shangri-La hotel around midyear.

Here, beneath pillared ceilings and chandeliers, they gather for an annual informal bash — called the Shangri-La Dialogue — organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

This year's chapter was held over the weekend and the chatter was particularly lively given the strategic shifts shaking Asia, from North Korea to rapidly-evolving rivalry between India and China.