French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth are attending a major security forum in Singapore this weekend, joined by global leaders, diplomats, and top defense officials. The event will focus on key issues such as China’s increasing assertiveness, the global repercussions of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and rising conflicts in Asia. Macron is set to deliver the keynote speech on Friday night, addressing these topics along with the impact of high tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration on Asian allies.

This marks Hegseth’s first participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies, amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington. These tensions have been fueled by Trump’s threats of steep tariffs on China, including a possible 32% tariff on Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. Chinese President Xi Jinping has not ruled out using force to assert control over Taiwan, and China has increased military activity near the island, including deploying an aircraft carrier. Before leaving for Singapore, Hegseth emphasized that U.S. policies aim to deter any Chinese invasion of Taiwan, stating, “We seek no conflict with anybody, including the Communist Chinese,” but will remain firm in protecting American interests.

China, which typically sends its Defence Minister to the Shangri-La forum, appears to be sending a lower-level delegation this year without explanation.

Hegseth’s visit to Singapore is his second in the region since assuming office, following a March trip to the Philippines and Japan. That visit helped ease concerns from countries worried about U.S. commitment amid President Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy. The U.S. continues to promote a “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy, regularly conducting naval operations in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, waters largely claimed by China.

European nations have taken a more economic approach but some, including France, participate in freedom of navigation operations. France recently completed a five-month carrier strike group mission in the Indo-Pacific, reflecting its commitment to preserving a rules-based international order in the face of China’s rising influence. France’s Indo-Pacific strategy highlights the importance of countering China’s territorial claims and its competition with the U.S. With over 1.6 million French citizens living in overseas territories in the region, Macron is also expected to address the worldwide impact of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s efforts to destabilize Asia.

While regional democracies like Australia, South Korea, and Japan support Ukraine, China has increased its backing of Russia, and North Korea has sent troops to fight alongside Moscow. The forum occurs amid ongoing crises such as the civil war in Myanmar, which has worsened following a devastating earthquake in March.

The recent flare-up of violence on the Thai-Cambodian border, where a Cambodian soldier was killed, highlights long standing territorial disputes between the two countries, although officials reported the situation has since been defused.

Most alarmingly, nuclear-armed India and Pakistan nearly went to war earlier this month in their most serious military confrontation in decades.