It’s here again: the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Asia’s premier defence summit will take place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore from June 2 to 4.
Held annually since 2002, the dialogue sees a gathering of defence ministers, heads of ministries, academic experts, journalists and more, primarily from around the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Europe and North America.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is run by the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
The main agenda at the forum are critical security challenges. Over the course of three days, attendees will take part in formal panels and presentations – but there’s also another purpose to the forum.
The dialogue – named after the hotel it is held in – also offers a chance for defense officials to meet with their counterparts for sideline bilateral meetings.
Experts are predicting that this year’s attention– as in many other years – will be security ties and tension between the US and China. But the agenda this year will also focus on cybersecurity, military capability development, and the nuclear dimensions of regional security.
In 2023, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be delivering the keynote speech. Other headline speakers announced are US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and China’s Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu.
For New Zealand’s part, it is the Defence Minister who most often attends – in this case, Andrew Little. In a statement, Little said he would be meeting one on one with his counterparts from Ukraine, China, Singapore, the UK, and others.
Read more:
The growing nuclear dimensions of regional security in the Indo-Pacific - IISS
At SLD 2023, ASEAN Defense Officials Must Tackle Tech Issues - The Diplomat
A possible turning point for US–China defence links - IISS
- Asia Media Centre
