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China has to decide for itself whether it is "better" to continue attending an open forum like the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) to debate and exchange ideas, or to retreat from engagement, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on June 12.

Ng was a panel member of the Seventh Plenary Session of the SLD, accompanied by John Chipman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

During the question and answer session, Zhao Xiaozhuo, a Senior Colonel in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and a Senior Fellow of the Academy of Military Sciences, posed a question about some perceived "negative views" of the SLD, particularly on supposed "dominance" of the forum by the United States and its allies.

"I think it is a perfect moment to sum up what roles the Shangri-La Dialogue has played in this region. My question goes to Dr (Ng) and also Dr Chipman. And I have heard a lot of views.

Some view SLD as positive, thinking it's a forum bringing together high-ranking officials and scholars from this region to improve communication and exchanges.

But there are negative views, views the SLD as a forum dominated by the United States and its allies, serving the interests of the U.S. and its allies.

And also the topics it sets often point to differences rather than cooperation, and the divergence rather than convergence.

So my question is, what role over the past years SLD has played in Asia Pacific security, and how do you view the comments, the opinions I have mentioned about."

Ng replied, drawing on his own experience:

"I've attended a number of conferences, I've attended the Xiangshan Forum. And sometimes it is a matter of taste, I can imagine that people from the PLA, come here and find this raucous, a bit rambunctious, this is the western liberal mode of many ideas, and from this you're supposed to gain wisdom, and they go back and say it was thoroughly discombobulating. That's entirely understandable.

On the other hand, when things are structured, too predictable, people don't like to attend those. Because they feel it is too scripted, that when you say things the end is already determined, so why not say, just send me something so I can read it, rather than I travel a few thousand miles to arrive in Singapore.

Is it better to come to an open platform, to subject yourself, sometimes, to a tyranny of questions, to what might seem a common view from others, to explain yourselves. Or, to retreat from that engagement. That is something China must decide for itself."

Will China continue its engagement with the SLD?

Following the question and answer session, Ng answered a question from the media over whether China would send a lower-level delegation to future SLDs.

While China's Defence Minister Wei Fenghe attended this year's SLD and in 2019, China had not sent a minister-level delegation to the dialogue in the previous eight years, CNA said.

Ng shared his experience on attending the Xiangshan Security Forum in China, and stated his view that the SLD remains useful in helping other countries understand China.

"SLD is a security forum, there is no compulsion for anyone to come. The value, really, must for anyone is whether they feel at the end of it, they're better off than not. When you attend meetings that are very much in Europe or America, this doesn't stand out as anything different.

But I've attended Xiangshan Forum. It's very systematic, and it's useful. And I'll be honest and I've said so to my host when I go there, sometimes you wish for a little more exchange, you know. Because you feel as if something is unsaid, or something is said just to be polite. Ke qi, it's the Chinese culture. You're just saying it to be courteous, but you know, after you leave my door you whisper something, and then I don't know how you feel.

It doesn't really... so we'll take all feedback, (IISS) will take it, but I would think that over the years, it has helped other countries looking onto China, understand China a bit more."

You can view the exchange and Ng's comments to the media below:

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Top image from The International Institute for Strategic Studies/YouTube