Top defense officials and security experts are gathering in Singapore for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, with tensions over the Taiwan Strait and the US-Israeli war with Iran expected to dominate discussions. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has arrived for the three-day summit, where analysts say countries will closely watch Washington’s security policies in the Indo-Pacific. A report released ahead of the event warned that US involvement in a conflict with China over Taiwan could risk nuclear escalation. China’s defense minister will again skip the summit, instead sending representatives from the country's National Defense University and navy, raising questions about Beijing’s security posture.
