Last year, the Chinese delegation was led by Hu Gangfeng, a PLA major general and vice-president of the National Defence University. It remains unclear who will lead China’s delegation this year and it is still possible that Dong could attend.
In recent years, Chinese defence ministers have faced mounting pressure at the forum over Beijing’s increasingly assertive military activities in the region.
At last year’s dialogue, Hegseth accused China of seeking to “fundamentally alter the region’s status quo”, remarks that Hu dismissed as “groundless” and aimed at inciting confrontation.
Meanwhile, Beijing has attached increasing importance to its own Xiangshan Forum, launched in 2006, as its answer to the Shangri-La Dialogue and a platform for presenting China’s security positions.
Dong’s attendance at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2024 marked his first major international appearance since becoming defence minister in late 2023.
He replaced Li Shangfu, who was then placed under investigation amid the country’s anti-corruption efforts in the military. China announced earlier this month that Li received a suspended death sentence after being found guilty of corruption.
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