“It is in the interest of all of us to better, deeper understand China’s fears, concerns and aspirations, just as it is important for China to understand how the rest of the world perceives China,” Chan said at the three-day premier Asian defence summit, which began on Friday.
“Regardless of whether China attends the Shangri-La Dialogue, it’s incumbent upon all of us also to reach out to China in different forums to try to build those bridges so that we not end up in a situation whereby either side misinterpret or miscommunicate or misrepresent each other’s positions.”
In a departure from its practice since 2019, Beijing sent a lower-level delegation to the conclave attended by ministers, defence chiefs and academics from 47 countries.
Chan, who is attending the event as defence minister for the first time after being sworn in on May 23, said on Saturday that the superpower’s presence was missed at a ministerial round table and stressed the importance of dialogue with China to prevent misunderstanding intentions.
