SINGAPORE, June 3 – The annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore exposed growing tensions between the United States and European allies over engagement in the Indo-Pacific, even as China’s subdued presence and India-Pakistan hostilities added to the event’s complex dynamics.
Traditionally dominated by U.S.-China rivalry, this year’s security forum highlighted a new divide, with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urging European nations to focus primarily on their own continent as they ramp up defence spending in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We would much prefer that the overwhelming balance of European investment be on that continent… so that we can use our comparative advantage as an Indo-Pacific nation to support our partners here,” Hegseth said in a speech on Saturday.
Beijing, notably, sent a low-level delegation of military scholars instead of its defence minister, drawing pointed remarks from Hegseth, who called China an “imminent” threat. The absence marked a shift in tone from previous years, where high-level U.S.-China interactions often took center stage.
Despite U.S. appeals, European leaders signalled they are not prepared to scale back their Asian presence. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed the interlinked nature of European and Pacific security, noting Chinese military and economic support for Russia.
“If you are worried about China, you should be worried about Russia,” Kallas said, pointing to Moscow’s use of North Korean troops and its partnership with Beijing in the Ukraine conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron, asserting France’s status as an Indo-Pacific power, proposed a “third path” that avoids choosing between Washington and Beijing. Citing France’s military presence in New Caledonia and French Polynesia, Macron reaffirmed Paris’ commitment to the region.
“We are neither China nor the U.S., we don’t want to depend on either of them,” he said at a press conference on Friday.
Analysts and military officials noted that Europe’s military and commercial ties to Asia are deeply entrenched, making any swift strategic pivot unlikely. The upcoming visit of a British aircraft carrier to Singapore stems from plans dating back to 2017, and the UK remains tied to Asia through the Five-Power Defence Arrangements with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.
Singapore, for its part, maintains 200 personnel operating fighter jets in France, while the UK has a jungle warfare training camp and a Gurkha battalion based in Brunei.
European defence firms, including Airbus, Saab, Naval Group and Thales, continue to expand in Southeast Asia. Swedish company Saab is close to finalizing a fighter jet deal with Thailand, reportedly edging out Lockheed Martin’s F-16.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Asian defence spending has surged 46% over the past decade, reaching $629 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile, military delegations from nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan appeared at the summit in full uniform, days after a May 10 ceasefire halted intense border clashes. The high-ranking officials from both sides reportedly avoided any direct interaction.
Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen supported the U.S. position, emphasizing Finland’s focus on Russian threats along its border. “When Europe’s defence is in good shape, then you will have resources to do something more,” he said. Despite diverging priorities, the summit underscored the increasingly global nature of security challenges—and the difficulty of forging unified transatlantic approaches in an era of strategic flux.
