China and U.S. defense chiefs compete for influence in the Asia Pacific

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/04/ [login to see] /four-takeaways-as-chinas-defense-chief-made-a-barbed-speech-at-a-singapore-summi
China's new defense minister made his first international appearance on Sunday at an annual defense summit, where he delivered a speech full of thinly-veiled barbs at the U.S., calling on it to "mind your own business" after two close encounters between the country's militaries.

"The best way to prevent this from happening is that military vessels and aircraft not come close to our waters and airspace," Li said. "Watch out for your own territorial waters and airspace, then there will not be any problems."

His remarks highlight how mounting U.S.-China military tensions have dominated the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, spilling out into the open with dueling speeches delivered by their respective defense chiefs over the weekend.

Here's what that means for the power dynamics in the region.