China lodged a protest over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech at a defense forum in Singapore on Saturday, even as Beijing chose not to send its top military diplomat to the annual event.
Hegseth chided China during the Shangri-La Dialogue, noting how the nation didn’t send a high-profile representative to the gathering. It was the first time Beijing hasn’t sent a defense minister to the forum since 2019, depriving China from conducting diplomacy with top military officials from around the globe and pushing its vision for regional security.
