Speaking Of Asia: When the French go marching in

The French and other Europeans, too, are flagging their worries about China's rise and shifting their security policies accordingly in Asia

ST ILLUSTRATION: MIEL
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This year's edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue deservedly focused much attention on China's Defence Minister, who was putting in an appearance at the premier regional security dialogue after having been represented by lower-ranking delegates the past eight years. Without question, General Wei Fenghe delivered for his country, producing a speech that can only be described as a masterclass in public diplomacy. His plenary address relayed confidence and resolve, and even if a lot of it was meant for his home audience, it did impress the civilian and military defence chiefs, analysts and other security-related people in the hall as well.

Yet, aside from the opening keynote and the US Defence Secretary's plenary address the next morning - the format that the dialogue has fallen into - one speech that probably merited greater attention was delivered by French Defence Minister Florence Parly.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 14, 2019, with the headline Speaking Of Asia: When the French go marching in. Subscribe