He also warned that the death of any Filipino citizen at the hands of another country in the South China Sea would be “very close” to an act of war.
It is also a rare opportunity to hear from, and pose questions to, senior Chinese military leaders.
Robert Ward, IISS Japan chair, told CNN he felt Dong’s tone was “more shrill” than he’s seen in previous speeches by Chinese defense chiefs at the gathering.
“The strategic environment in Asia has actually got more tense and I think we saw that in the Chinese defense minister’s speech today,” Ward said.
“Every year for three years, a new Chinese defense minister has come to Shangri-La,” the official told CNN.
Persons:
Dong Jun, ” Dong, ”, Xi Jinping, Dong, Lloyd Austin, ” China’s, “, Lai Ching, China, Ferdinand R, Marcos Jr, Austin –, China “, Robert Ward, he’s, ” Ward, they’ve
Organizations:
Singapore CNN, Taiwan, National Defense, Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party, China’s Defense Ministry, South China, Austin, International Institute for Strategic Studies, CNN, US
Locations:
Singapore, Beijing, Taiwan, United States, China, Taiwan Strait, East, South, South China, Philippines, ”, American, The Hague, Philippine, Ukraine, Dong, Russia, Asia, Pacific, Japan