Admiral Sun Jianguo’s speech at the 2015 Shangri-La Dialogue carries the same message that China has given many times before, including the nation’s commitment to promote peace, global cooperation, and prosperity. Regarding the East Sea, the Chinese Admiral claimed that the region is still maintaining order and navigational freedom. Sun’s speech also included explanations about China’s reclamation and expansion activities on archipelagoes in the East Sea. And while this speech carried a laudable sentiment, many international scholars pointed out the contradiction between his speech and China’s actions.
The Chinese representative didn’t answer any direct questions from those in attendance, citing time constraints as the reason why. Notably, this same reason has been used at previous dialogues. Instead, he read a prepared script, a response which many scholars anticipated.
After 3 days of speeches and meetings in Singapore, the Shangri-La Dialogue 2015 concluded on Saturday afternoon. Various security matters in the region and elsewhere in the world were discussed at the dialogue. Based on these discussions, the nations involved will make decisions to maintain peace and order.
