China will downgrade its representation at the Shangri-La Dialogue this year and, in doing so, skip an opportunity for Defence Minister Dong Jun to meet counterparts from the United States and across Asia.
In the past, Asia’s premier defence forum has offered a chance for China’s defence minister to make a speech to counter Washington’s narrative in the region and meet other defence chiefs directly.
China’s defence ministry said on Thursday that China would send a delegation from the National…