Shangri-La Dialogue 2026: Less Dialogue, More Ships? What Asia Heard from Washington

The 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue was held in Singapore from May 29 to 31, 2026. As the first major regional security forum following the Beijing summit between the Chinese and U.S. presidents, the Dialogue provided an important opportunity to assess the trajectory of China-U.S. relations and the evolving security landscape in the Asia-Pacific.In this episode of Sinopinion, Da Wei, Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University, and Shao Yuqun, Director of the Institute for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), are joined by Zhou Bo, Research Fellow at CISS, and Jerry Jin, journalist with the International Communication Center of the Oriental Broadcasting Center. Drawing on their observations and first-hand experiences at the Dialogue, they examine the strategic messages conveyed in U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s keynote speech, discuss developments in the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy and alliance network, regional multilateral security mechanisms, and broader security dynamics in the Asia-Pacific, and explore how China and the United States can work toward building a constructive framework for strategic stability between China and the United States.02:12 Key Differences in This Year's Shangri-La Dialogue06:49 The Taiwan Question and New Dynamics in China-U.S. Relations15:23 Why China's Delegation Drew Attention19:47 Strategic Messages from Pete Hegseth's Speech26:35 Alliance Burden-Sharing and the Future of U.S. Partnerships35:20 Can “Constructive Strategic Stability” Become a New China-U.S. Framework42:07 ASEAN Perspectives on Improving China-U.S. Relations43:12 Quad, AUKUS and the Evolution of Regional Minilateralism49:00 ASEAN Centrality and Strategic Autonomy52:10 Japan's Security Policy and Historical Memory56:52 The Future of the Asia-Pacific Security OrderExecutive Producer：GUO JiaProducer：GUO MingxinyiPodcast Editor：CHAI JingruContent Assistant: ZHONG Huiqing