China will not send its top military diplomat to the upcoming Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore for the first time since 2019, according to the Chinese government. The decision comes as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to attend the event. Instead, China will be represented by a delegation from the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University. The development may have prevented a potential first encounter between Hegseth and his Chinese counterpart.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-29/china-defense-chief-to-skip-singapore-forum-attended-by-hegseth