(May 22): Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe will address top diplomats at an upcoming summit in Singapore in a speech that could be pivotal amid rising tensions between the US and China.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) announced the late addition Monday to a roster of ranking officials that includes US Acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan attending the three-day IISS Shangri-La Dialogue from May 31.
Wei is scheduled to deliver a speech on China’s place in the Indo-Pacific region on the final day of the conference and will take questions afterwards, while his American counterpart will speak a day earlier.
The US and China are in the midst of delicate trade negotiations that hit a stumbling block last week after the Trump administration threatened to blacklist Chinese telecommunications conglomerate Huawei Technologies Co.
It is the first time China has sent its defence minister to the annual event since Liang Guanglie attended in 2011.
