History and mechanism of the Shangri-La Dialogue

On May 31, the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue opened at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, attended by government officials and renowned scholars from 45 countries and regions, including 49 ministerial-level representatives. As an important multilateral security cooperation dialogue mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region, Shangri-La Dialogue is an important platform for countries to exchange views, enhance understanding and promote cooperation. The following will elaborate on its development process, organizational mechanism, and far-reaching impact on security in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ⅰ The development of the Shangri-La Dialogue

Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), a security summit jointly created by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) of the Uk and the Ministry of National Defense of Singapore, has developed into the most influential multilateral security exchange platform in the Asia-Pacific region since its birth in 2002 and held in June every year in Singapore's Shangri-La Hotel.

The Shangri-La Dialogue originated from the evolution of the concept and practice of multilateral security in the Asia-Pacific region after the Cold War, especially after the "9.11" incident, the rise of the second track diplomacy and defense diplomacy provided an opportunity for its development. From the perspective of international strategic environment, after the end of the Cold War, especially at the threshold of the 21st century, the security issues faced by all countries have become increasingly complex and diversified, which has gradually formed a general consensus in the international community of global and regional integration, and further enhanced the willingness of multilateral cooperation among countries. At the level of security concept, the proposal and development of multilateral common security concept and cooperative security concept played a crucial role in promoting the construction and improvement of multilateral security cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region after the Cold War. Among them, the establishment and development of "Shangri-La Dialogue" and the establishment of related systems are vivid embodiment of the concrete practice of these ideas of common security and cooperative security.

In addition, since the 9.11 incident, the Asia-Pacific region has undergone profound changes in many fields, including politics, economy and security. The various forces have re-examined their own interests and adjusted their relations according to the actual situation, thus entering a new stage of differentiation and combination. The new progress of the second track diplomacy and the rise and transformation of defense diplomacy are the core reasons for the emergence and development of Shangri-La Dialogue.

As a new mode of diplomatic operation emerging after the end of the Cold War, the second track diplomacy has a distinct unofficial, non-governmental or semi-official character and a high degree of flexibility. The Shangri-La Dialogue, with its "one-and-a-half track" nature, has become an important high-level platform for defense exchanges and cooperation among countries in the Asia-Pacific region through the organic integration of security research, security dialogue and security decision-making, which is also the key reason why the forum can attract and gather defense ministers, military leaders, intelligence chiefs and defense experts from all countries.

The dialogue was originally set up to provide a platform for governments, security experts and scholars in Asia and the region to discuss security issues in depth. Since its inception, its scale and influence have been increasing year by year, and it has now become one of the highest-profile security dialogue mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific region.

The development of the Shangri-La Dialogue can be divided into three stages. In the first phase, the first three meetings were devoted to the establishment and initial exploration of the dialogue mechanism, with a relatively limited number of countries invited to participate and, apart from the General Assembly, a relatively small number of closed-door meetings. In the second stage, from 2005 to 2009, the number of participating countries and officials gradually increased, and the Shangri-La Dialogue gradually developed into a multilateral security forum with significant influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and increasingly became "an important mechanism for trans-regional security dialogue". Since 2010, the Dialogue has entered the third stage, with more countries participating and the content of the topics greatly enriched and developed. At this point, the overall structure, operation mode and process of Shangri-La Dialogue have been basically finalized and firmly established. Despite the subsequent emergence of "Track One" defense cooperation mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific region, such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus, the Shangri-La Dialogue still occupies a place in the security architecture of the Asia-Pacific region with its unique and indispensable role. In its 2014 report, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) assessed that the Shangri-La Dialogue has become a key component of the emerging regional security architecture and will continue to be the most important and inclusive meeting mechanism for the Asia-Pacific region's most senior defense officials.

Ⅱ The organizational mechanism of the Shangri-La Dialogue and its impact on regional security

The Shangri-La Dialogue is organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, UK, and co-organized by Singapore's Ministry of Defence. This form of transnational cooperation allows the dialogue to bring together experts, scholars, government officials and military leaders from different countries and regions, and this form of transnational cooperation ensures the internationalization and diversification of the Dialogue. Participants include government officials, military generals, experts, scholars, entrepreneurs, etc., with a wide range of representation and influence. The format of the dialogue and the composition of the participants in the Shangri-La Dialogue ensure that the dialogue can cover multiple areas and issues at multiple levels.

The agenda of the Shangri-La Dialogue is closely related to the security situation and development trend in the Asia-Pacific region, covering traditional and non-traditional security and other fields. These include traditional security issues such as territorial disputes and military cooperation, as well as non-traditional security issues such as terrorism, cyber security and climate change. Such agenda setting enables the dialogue to fully reflect the security challenges and cooperation needs of the Asia-Pacific region.

Around the above issues, Shangri-La Dialogue is divided into two forms: open general assembly exchanges and closed-door group meetings. Open exchanges at the conference allow delegates to make speeches and discuss issues of common interest, enhancing mutual understanding and trust. Closed-door breakout sessions are more in-depth and specific, allowing participants to discuss and negotiate on a topic in depth and seek cooperation and solutions.

Through transnational cooperation, diversified participation, flexible meeting formats and agenda items, and rich interactive sessions, Shangri-La Dialogue has provided a comprehensive, in-depth and pragmatic exchange platform for countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and promoted security cooperation and dialogue among countries.

First, the Shangri-La Dialogue has enriched the modalities and contents of multilateral security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. It adopts a variety of diplomatic methods such as the first track, the second track and the one-and-a-half track diplomacy to flexibly deal with the obstacles in cooperation, so as to promote the development of functional cooperation. Although there is no formal treaty or agreement basis, the Shangri-La Dialogue effectively promotes cooperation through confidence-building measures. In addition, as a track-and-a-half diplomatic platform, it has expanded the scope of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and created new forms such as ministerial luncheons, which provide opportunities for private discussions among defense ministers and help all parties reach consensus to resolve regional and global hotspot issues. The Shangri-La Dialogue has a broad agenda covering multiple areas such as grand strategy, geopolitics and defense policy, providing an important platform for multilateral security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Second, the Shangri-La Dialogue has promoted the cultivation of a new security culture and a sense of security community in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific region has long struggled to establish multilateral cooperation mechanisms and lacks a common security culture due to historical enmity. The Shangri-La Dialogue has brought together senior defense officials and scholars from many countries in Asia, North America and Europe, promoted the exchange of security ideas and helped countries find common security interests. The dialogue emphasizes equal and candid dialogue and avoids imposing one's will, which reflects the influence of the multilateral security cooperation model and security culture advocated by ASEAN. The experience of the past five years shows that a cooperative security culture emphasizing transparency and equal dialogue has emerged in multilateral security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, which is crucial to the formation of a sense of security community.

Third, the active participation of small and medium-sized countries in the Asia-Pacific region has undoubtedly played a vital role in limiting the excessive display of unilateralism by the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Such active participation not only avoids possible manipulation by major powers, but also promotes the process of democratization of international relations in the Asia-Pacific region in the long run. Through their participation and contributions, these small and medium-sized countries have ensured that cooperation mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific region are more equitable, transparent and inclusive. In the creation and development of the Shangri-La Dialogue, small and medium-sized countries in the Asia-Pacific region, especially Singapore, played a key role. With its rich international experience and high political wisdom, Singapore, as the host of successive Shangri-La Dialogues, has not only played a decisive role in the arrangement, agenda guidance and theme determination of the meetings, but also fully demonstrated its ability to mediate among major countries in the Asia-Pacific region through its outstanding diplomatic skills. This capability not only enhances the voice of small and medium-sized countries in the international arena, but also proves once again that small countries can also play an irreplaceable role in multilateral security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific.

However, Shangri-La Dialogue also has a certain negative impact, which is mainly reflected in its strong western dominance. Compared with other multilateral security mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific region, Western countries attempt to influence and intervene in the affairs of the Asia-Pacific region through Shangri-La Dialogue to expand their strategic interests. The IISS, for example, was heavily influenced by the Munich Security Conference and supported by Western powers, which included "special treatment" for the United States.

Ⅲ Major differences and consensus between China and the United States on regional security issues

According to the schedule released on the website of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the host of the conference, this year's plenary session will be divided into seven sections, during which defense ministers will deliver speeches. Major topics included the U.S. strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, strengthening crisis management amid competition, building security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, challenges to the trans-regional security order, China and global security, maintaining security in the Indo-Pacific region, and devising solutions to maintain regional stability. At the same time, six sub-sessions will focus on artificial intelligence, regional peace and stability, and global humanitarian action.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue, the interaction between China and the United States on defense and security issues in the Asia-Pacific has attracted much attention. It is reported that Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and US Secretary of Defense Austin will meet on the sidelines of the meeting to exchange views on China-US military-to-military relations, the Taiwan issue, the South China Sea issue, the Ukraine crisis, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and other issues. Regarding the relations between the two militaries, Dong Jun pointed out that the current situation of stopping the decline and stabilizing the relations between the two militaries is hard-won and should be cherished. The purpose of the communication between the two militaries is to enhance understanding, eliminate misunderstandings and accumulate mutual trust, so as to achieve stable relations. Austin expressed concern about the People's Liberation Army's round-the-island exercise and mentioned the importance of maintaining communication between the commanders of the two militaries.

Despite differences on some regional issues, both sides stressed the importance of maintaining dialogue and communication. The two sides have also demonstrated their willingness and practical actions to cooperate in defense and security, such as jointly responding to non-traditional security threats and enhancing military mutual trust. These consensus have laid the foundation for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

With the United States holding the main voice in the Shangri-La Dialogue, a growing China is increasingly showing its pursuit in Asia-Pacific security affairs. Since China first participated in the Hong Kong Conference in 2007, the interaction and confrontation between China and the United States on defense and security issues in the Asia-Pacific have attracted increasing attention, and both China and the United States have attempted to put forward their ideas on the security architecture of the Asia-Pacific region through the platform, while sending signals to the region and winning support from regional countries. Especially after 2010, with the South China Sea and East China Sea issues and the use of the "Taiwan card" by the United States, the struggle between China and the United States on hot issues has continued to heat up. At the meeting, China and the United States repeatedly expressed opposing views on regional order and the South China Sea, and both stressed the importance of maintaining dialogue and communication. In recent years, Sino-US trade frictions, the Western Pacific strategic game and the "Indo-Pacific strategy" promoted by the United States have made the strategic competition between China and the United States more severe. Despite many challenges, China and the United States are still trying to maintain a certain degree of dialogue and communication through platforms such as the Xianghui to maintain regional peace and stability.

China and the United States have certain consensus on issues in the Asia-Pacific region, which is mainly based on the common interests of maintaining regional peace, stability and prosperity. The Shangri-La Dialogue is expected to serve as an important opportunity for China and the United States to conduct dialogue and consultation on issues in the Asia-Pacific region, especially defense and security issues. First, both China and the United States recognize the importance of establishing effective crisis management mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific region, through the development of a code of conduct for security and the strengthening of military exercises, aimed at reducing misunderstanding and miscalculation, and ensuring regional peace and stability. Second, the two sides should jointly address non-traditional security threats, such as terrorism, piracy and transnational crimes, and safeguard common interests in the region through international cooperation. In terms of enhancing military mutual trust, China and the United States have deepened mutual understanding and trust through joint military exercises, exchange visits and other activities. Despite differences on specific issues such as the South China Sea, both countries stressed respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, demonstrating their shared responsibility in maintaining regional stability. In addition, the defense departments of China and the United States have maintained close communication and cooperation, exchanged views and enhanced understanding on international and regional security issues of common concern through dialogues and meetings. Finally, both countries recognize the importance of promoting regional security architecture and working together to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Although there are differences between China and the United States in some aspects, the two sides have also demonstrated their willingness and practical actions to cooperate in the field of defense and security. (Author: Xi Manzhao Assistant lecturer, Northeast Asia College, Shandong University; Yang Yanlong, Researcher Fellow, Institute of International Studies, Shandong University)