‘No Coercion’ for China to Attend Security Forums: Singapore Defense Minister

China's Defense Minister Wei Fenghe (R) greets U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (L) as he sits across from Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen during the ministerial roundtable luncheon at the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 11, 2022. Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images

China can decide to debate its stance in open forums like the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) or “retreat from that engagement,” Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said on June 12.

Ng was responding to a question posed by a Chinese military official during the seventh plenary session of the SLD in Singapore. The three-day forum serves as a platform for regional defense ministers to exchange views on security issues.