Hegseth Avoids Mentioning Taiwan at Shangri-La in First Such Omission by Pentagon Chief in Over a Decade

At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, Hegseth's as-delivered speech, published by the Department of War, contained no mention of Taiwan, the first such omission by a Pentagon chief in over a decade 123. He declared "the era of performative outrage is over," described US-China relations as "better than they've been in many years," and framed US regional posture as "strong, quiet, and clear" 3. Asked about Taiwan by reporters afterward, Hegseth said policy is unchanged but acknowledged "the only change you might see is how we talk," and declined to address the stalled $14 billion arms package 1. Tsinghua University's Da Wei, attending the forum, called the tone "commendable," while Carnegie's Ankit Panda, also in the audience, told NPR the speech was "really light on substance" with no clear pathway toward stable US-China relations 12.