How Hegseth might shift his tone on Taiwan at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue

Beijing’s delegates to the Shangri-La Dialogue anticipate Washington will strike a less confrontational tone on Taiwan than it did last year, even as the issue remains the largest point of contention in Sino-US relations. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to speak at the annual security conference in Singapore on Saturday morning. His remarks will be closely watched by Beijing and by Washington’s regional allies for signs of any policy shift following the high-stakes summit between.