China to be 'beleaguered' at Shangri-La Dialogue? Maybe not so

Amid old geopolitical rivalry and increasing maritime disputes, defense and military officials from Asia-Pacific countries are gathering at the annual Asia Security Summit in Singapore on Friday in a bid to address common concerns.

China, as is the case in the past many years, turns out to be the elephant in the room at the meeting.

Some Western analysts are eager to point out that China would feel "beleaguered" as Japanese, Filipino and Vietnamese officials, whose countries have been engaged in fierce territorial disputes with the Asian power, might rally together to confront a bullying neighbor, probably with implicit U.S. backing.

However, this confrontational mentality not only runs against the very spirit of the Shangri-La Dialogue, which has always tried to promote regional trust and cooperation, but also betrays a cliche narrative that tries to demonize China.

Insteading of promoting the old "China threat" hype, the meeting could be better used for participants to exchange ideas on how to achieve long-term peace and security in the region.

The high-level participation in and worldwide attention to the meeting highlights the urgency to manage somtimes explosive regional differences, as territorial disputes between Japan and China in the East China Sea, and between Vietnam and China in the South China Sea have seen new dangerous incidents earlier this month.

At this critical time, the Shangri-La Dialogue should serve as a platform for concerned countries to conduct bilateral and multilateral conversation on how to seek peaceful solution to the disputes.

As interdependence among countries deepens, governments in the Asia-Pacific region need to work on improving mutual trust and promote regional integration in a constructive way to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results in the future.

At this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, all participants should work together to seek long-term security and stability in the Asia-Pacific, where the interests of all stake-holders are increasingly intertwined with each other.

For all the other countries, it is worth noting that China' s sticking to a peaceful development path and a defense policy of defensive nature not only serves its own interest, but also means that China will further boost its role in driving regional and global economic development, and safeguarding peace and stability.