The Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual conference of security officials and experts convened in Singapore by the London-based Institute for International and Strategic Studies (IISS), has become the premier Asian defense meeting, the easiest and quickest way to assess the regional zeitgeist on such issues.
This year's gathering, the 19th, featured the first appearance by China's defense minister, a welcome addition as geopolitical competition between Washington and Beijing intensifies. It is important that the two countries together publicly make their case to regional constituencies. At a time of intense and accelerating change, nothing can be taken for granted.
The tone was set in the keynote speech of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsieng Loong. He highlighted strains created by the rise of China, noting that "countries have to accept that China will continue to grow and strengthen and that it is neither possible nor wise for them to prevent this from happening." He noted that the United States will have the most difficult mental adjustment, but "it is well worth the U.S. forging a new understanding that will integrate China's aspirations within the current system of rules and norms."