On Saturday, May 31st, at the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore, several European leaders warned that the deepening strategic cooperation between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Russia poses a significant threat to global security order. They called for increased collaboration between European and Asian countries to address this “most serious challenge” currently facing the world.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas highlighted in her speech at the forum that as China and Russia claim to jointly push for a “global breakthrough” and attempt to rewrite the global security order, the international community must remain vigilant.
She pointed out that while Beijing claims neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it indirectly assists Russian aggression through exports of dual-use goods, which constitutes a serious violation of international law. Kallas further warned that cooperation between China and Russia in highly sensitive areas such as drones, cyber attacks, and underwater infrastructure sabotage is deepening, posing a substantial threat to global security.
Kallas also mentioned that North Korea’s provision of weapons, ammunition, and manpower to Russia amounts to “virtual involvement in combat,” indicating that geopolitical risks can no longer be defined by regional boundaries.
She emphasized that Europe and Asia share significant concerns on security issues, including the escalating situation in the Taiwan Strait, challenges to maritime order, cyber attacks, and safeguarding critical underwater infrastructure. Referring to the incident of a Chinese-flagged vessel causing damage to undersea cables and natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in 2023, Kallas suggested that the event may not have been a mere accident, urging the international community to enhance supervision and defense cooperation.
Quoting former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s statement at the same forum in 2022, she stressed that today’s Ukraine could be tomorrow’s East Asia, underlining the inseparability of Euro-Asian security.
The EU’s strategic positioning in the Indo-Pacific region continues to deepen. Kallas stated that the EU does not subscribe to zero-sum games and is committed to establishing mutually beneficial partnerships with like-minded countries. As one of the world’s largest trading blocs, the EU has established security cooperation mechanisms with Japan and South Korea, and seeks to enhance partnerships with India, Australia, and other nations to promote regional peace and stability.
During the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that if the international community allows Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to go unchecked, it would severely weaken Western deterrence in Asia and potentially embolden China’s military ambitions towards Taiwan.
Macron questioned, “If we allow Russia to occupy Ukrainian territory without any restrictions or constraints, with no response from the global order, what will happen when similar situations occur in Taiwan or the Philippines?”
He also criticized China’s silence on aiding Russia through North Korea and emphasized that if China does not want NATO involvement in Asia, it should prevent North Korea from expanding the conflict into Europe. Macron’s remarks imply that North Korea’s provision of missiles, ammunition, and even combat personnel to the Russia-Ukraine conflict goes beyond regional disputes and directly challenges global security.
At the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) meeting held on May 30th, defense ministers from Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the UK jointly warned that the region faces risks of underwater communication facilities being targeted, and expressed concerns about security threats posed by new technologies like drones. They agreed to expand joint military exercises and training to enhance collective response capabilities.
Established in 1971, FPDA is a defense cooperation framework among the five Commonwealth countries aimed at strengthening regional defense and strategic coordination.
Additionally, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe was notably absent from the Shangri-La Dialogue, marking the first time since 2019 that a Chinese Defense Minister did not attend the annual security forum, raising external concerns and interpretations.