Shangri-La

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth assured Pacific allies on Saturday that Washington remained committed to the region, but toned down previous comments calling China a threat. Speaking to a group of world leaders, diplomats and top security officials at the Shangri-La defense conference in Singapore, Hegseth said that the region "has profound implications for US security and prosperity" and that Washington's priority was to "achieve a lasting and favorable balance of power in the Pacific." It was his second time addressing the forum. Last year, he raised the ire of Beijing by warning of rapidly developing threats from China, particularly its aggressive stance toward Taiwan. He said China is no longer just building up its military forces to take Taiwan, it's "actively training for it, every day." This year, however, the meeting comes only about two weeks after US President Donald Trump visited Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, following which Trump called Xi a "great leader" and

The annual gathering in Singapore has become an increasingly influential forum for the world's top defence and security policy types, particularly as concerns over China's military actions

The 19th Shangri-La Dialogue will be held here from Friday to Sunday after a two-year suspension due to the Covid pandemic, focusing mainly on security in the Asia-Pacific region and viable solutions

The two existing Shangri-La hotels are located in New Delhi and Bengaluru

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