The 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue took place at the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore from May 29 to 31, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Delegations from 44 countries attended alongside 54 ministerial-level officials [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7]. The forum featured six plenary sessions and three special sessions focused on Asia-Pacific security challenges, US Indo-Pacific commitments, China's military modernization, and the impact of the Middle East conflict on global energy markets [1, 2, 3, 8, 4, 7, 9, 5].
Vietnamese President To Lam, also general secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, delivered the keynote speech on May 29. This marked his first visit to Singapore as president [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 5]. On May 30, Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta gave a special address, while Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam hosted a reception at the Istana [1, 2, 3, 4].
Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing spoke at the final plenary session on May 31 titled "Evolving Security Partnerships in a Fragmenting World." He also hosted bilateral and roundtable meetings as well as a breakfast meeting with Five Power Defence Arrangements ministers [1, 2, 3, 4, 10].
Notable attendees included US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation secretary-general Nurlan Yermekbayev [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 5]. Hegseth said, "I wish my counterpart was here at this conference, but I look forward to other options when we can cross paths and communicate" in reference to China's absence [9].
China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun did not attend for the second consecutive year. China’s delegation was led by lower-level People's Liberation Army officials [4, 9, 5]. Philippines Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro said, "As a value proposition their [China's] presence here is reduced to a minimum ... which is to promote the party line rather than to engage constructively" [9].
Canada’s Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Jennie Carignan, said, "No one country can do it all alone. Having the ability to get together to complement each other's capabilities is incredibly important, but in order to do that, you have to have your own defense" [9].
The 23rd Dialogue maintained its role as a platform for regional security discussions. The event concluded on May 31 after three days of sessions and meetings in Singapore [1, 2, 3, 4].
