Singapore. French President Emmanuel Macron and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are among the world leaders, diplomats, and top defense officials gathering in Singapore this weekend for the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security forum expected to focus on China’s growing assertiveness, the global fallout of Russia’s war on Ukraine, and emerging conflicts across Asia.

Macron will open the conference on Friday evening with a keynote address expected to address these key issues, as well as concerns among Asian allies over the steep tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Hegseth, attending the Shangri-La Dialogue for the first time, joins the forum amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. The Trump administration has threatened China with triple-digit tariffs, and there is regional unease about the US commitment to defending Taiwan, which could face a 32 percent American tariff.

China claims the self-governing island as its own and has not ruled out taking it by force. It regularly sends military aircraft, warships, and surveillance balloons near Taiwan and currently has an aircraft carrier deployed southeast of the island.

Speaking before departing for Singapore, Hegseth said US policy aims to deter any Chinese military action against Taiwan.

“We seek no conflict with anybody, including the Communist Chinese,” he said. “We will stay strong for our interests. That’s a big part of what this trip is about.”

Breaking from tradition, China has opted not to send its defense minister to the forum. Instead, Maj. Gen. Hu Gangfeng, vice president of the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University, leads a lower-level delegation. Hu is scheduled to speak on a panel about “cooperative maritime security” alongside officials from Japan, Vietnam, Chile, and the UK, a notable lineup given concerns over China’s aggressive global fisheries practices that stretch from the Indo-Pacific to Latin America and the Arctic.

US Commitment in Focus

This marks Hegseth’s second visit to the region since becoming defense secretary, following a March trip to the Philippines and Japan. That visit aimed to reassure allies amid rising tensions with China, especially in the South China Sea.

While the United States champions a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” which includes frequent naval transits through the Taiwan Strait and disputed waters, doubts persist about the Trump administration’s long-term reliability, particularly given its transactional approach to diplomacy.

The European Union has largely pursued economic engagement, but several European countries,, France among them, have supported freedom of navigation operations. France recently wrapped up a five-month Indo-Pacific deployment with a carrier strike group.

France’s Indo-Pacific Push

France maintains deep regional ties, with more than 1.6 million citizens living in its overseas territories across the Indo-Pacific. Its strategy calls for defending a rules-based international order in the face of China’s rising power and global rivalry with the United States.

After meeting Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday, Macron said the region must not be defined by great power rivalry.

“We are neither China nor the US, and we don’t want to depend on either,” he said. “We aim to cooperate with both, for growth, stability, and global order.”

Wong echoed the sentiment, calling for “comprehensive engagement” and “win-win arrangements rather than zero-sum competition.”

Macron is also expected to stress that Russia’s war in Ukraine has global ramifications, including efforts to destabilize Asia. While regional democracies like Australia, Japan, and South Korea support Ukraine, China has increasingly backed Moscow, and North Korea has reportedly sent troops to assist Russia.

Regional Flashpoints

The summit unfolds against a backdrop of regional instability. Myanmar’s civil war rages on amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by a powerful earthquake in March. Violence also flared this week on the Thai-Cambodian border, where a Cambodian soldier was killed. Though the skirmish was quickly contained, the two countries have a history of territorial disputes.

More alarming was the recent escalation between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, whose armed forces exchanged missiles, artillery, and drone strikes earlier this month, killing dozens before a truce was reached.

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