China says defence minister’s Shangri-La Dialogue absence was due to 'normal work arrangements'

As the absence of China's defence minister from China continues to be felt on the second day of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), China has responded: “It’s a completely normal work arrangement.”

China did not send its Minister of National Defence, Dong Jun, to attend the 2025 SLD, which was held in Singapore from May 30 to Jun 1.

This is the first time China’s defence minister has been absent from the summit since 2019.

Instead, it sent a delegation from the National Defence University led by delegation chief Major General Hu Gangfeng.

Asked about Dong’s absence in a question-and-answer portion of a Special Session, Hu answered that China sends a different delegation each year.

“This is a completely normal working arrangement. It will not affect the explanation of our national defence policies,” he said.

“Objectively speaking, today, I’m entrusted by our side to express our ideas. I think everyone may hear clearly our true thinking.”

Probed multiple times

Prior to Hu’s response, China had been probed more than once about Dong’s absence.

In his speech on the morning of May 31, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that China’s decision not to send its top defence minister indicated a lack of commitment to the region.

“We are here this morning. Somebody else isn’t,” he said.

At the Special Session, Hu appears to have not answered the question about the absence of China’s defence minister before giving his response when asked again.

Hu is this year's delegation chief?

According to The Straits Times, Hu is a military scholar with the rank of a one-star general. As vice-president of the People’s Liberation Army of the National Defence University, he plays no part in combat operations or policy-making.

Meanwhile, ST noted that two scholars in the official Chinese delegation confessed to them that they simply did not know why Dong did not attend this year’s forum.

Less airtime for China

In last year’s SLD, Dong spoke in an hour-long plenary session dedicated to the topic “China’s approach to global security”.

This year, however, Hu was only featured towards the end of the SLD’s second day as one of five panellists in a session concurrent with two others, giving him less room to push back against criticisms levied against China during the dialogue.

Hegseth had earlier urged other countries to increase their defence spending in the face of a “real” and “imminent” threat posed by China.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron compared Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to what China might do to Taiwan or the Philippines in his keynote speech the day before.

The Chinese Embassy in Singapore has since responded to criticisms on its Facebook page.

In one post, it accused Hegseth of playing up the China threat, condemning his speech as “steeped in provocations and instigation”.

Most would have hoped for the Chinese delegation to attend: Chan Chun Sing

Speaking to the media following a closed-door ministerial roundtable, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said most at the session would have hoped for the Chinese delegation to attend.

“I think it will be fair to say that most if not everyone around the table would have hoped for the presence of the Chinese delegation because the Shangri-La Dialogue has continued to grow over all these years… and that’s because many people found it useful; a useful platform to exchange perspectives.”

Chan added that while he could not speak for China on its choice of delegates, Singapore continues to welcome China’s participation in future dialogues.

Hu has reaffirmed that China attaches great importance to the SLD as a platform for all sides to discuss security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Related stories

https://mothership.sg/2025/05/chan-chun-sing-china-position-shangri-la-dialogue/ 

https://mothership.sg/2025/05/dong-no-show-sld/ 

Top image via Mothership and The International Institute for Strategic Studies/YouTube