French President Emmanuel Macron opened the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense and security conference held in Singapore, with a keynote address on Friday that was laced with calls for European and Asian countries to form an alliance against what he described as "spheres of coercion" sought by some major powers — a veiled reference to China and Russia.

Macron's comments came as Moscow thumbs its nose at the West by ignoring international outcry and calls for an end to its invasion of Ukraine, and concerns grow that China may make good on its threat to take control of Taiwan as it continues to assert its strength in the South China Sea.

"We have a challenge of revisionist countries that want to impose… under the name of spheres of influence… spheres of coercion," said Macron.

"Countries that want to control areas from the fringes of Europe to the archipelagos in the South China Sea... that want to appropriate resources, whether fishing or mineral, and crowd out others for their benefit," he continued.

Macron's speech came on the heels of a tour of Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore in which the French politician sought to present his country as a reliable defense and business partner for countries caught between the US and China.

Both Washington and Beijing have exasperated regional leaders who must navigate US President Donald Trump's ceaseless tariff threats and Chinese President Xi Jinping's carrot and stick approach to cooperation.

Rising tension between the two has only made life more difficult for countries in the region, prompting Macron to urge countries to "build a positive new alliance between Europe and Asia, based on our common norms, on our common principles."

"Our shared responsibility is to ensure with others that our countries are not collateral victims of the imbalances linked to the choices made by the superpowers," Macron said.

The French president also used his speech to warn against complacency among those present when it comes to support for Ukraine, which many might think matters less to the region due to the fact that it may seem a far-away problem.

"If we consider that Russia could be allowed to take a part of the territory of Ukraine without any restriction, without any constraint, without any reaction of the global order," he said, adding: "How would you phrase what could happen in Taiwan? What would you do the day something happens in the Philippines?"   

Although regional democracies like Australia, Japan and South Korea have actively supported Ukraine, China and North Korea have helped keep Moscow's war going with financial and material support — with Pyongyang even sending troops to the front lines.

EU seeks solid, amicable business and defense partnerships in Asia 

France recently stressed the need to "preserve a rules-based international order" in the face of "China's increasing power and territorial claims" and Beijing's seesawing competition with the US in its latest Indo-Pacific strategy paper.

Although EU countries have tended to focus on their business ties to nations in the region, they have also participated in numerous freedom of navigation exercises in the face of China's growing military assertiveness.

After meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong earlier on Friday, Macron said: "We are neither China nor the US, we don't want to depend on either of them."

"We want to cooperate with both as far as we can, and we can cooperate for growth and prosperity and stability for our people and the world order, and I think this is exactly the same view of a lot of countries and a lot of people of this region," he added."

Wong agreed, saying, "We want to embrace comprehensive engagement with all parties and embrace win-win arrangements rather than zero-sum competition."

China breaks tradition, sends low-level representatives to conference

The Shangri-La Dialogue, which is hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies (IISS) and runs through Sunday, was first held in 2002 and facilitates high-level meetings between defense ministers from across the globe.

It has also long been seen as a barometer for US-China relations. Moreover, it has offered a rare opportunity for US and Chinese defense ministers to meet face-to-face.

This year, however, Beijing has not dispatched its defense minister, but rather a senior official from the People's Liberation Army's National Defense University.

Concerns about US commitment to the Indo-Pacific

Leaders in the region have also been uneasy regarding US commitments since Donald Trump returned to office in January.

Not only has Trump turned global stock markets on their head as he pursues his trade war with Beijing, he has also punished allies in the region with massive tariffs as well. Furthermore, there is concern over Washington's commitment to defend Taiwan.

Before departing for Singapore, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters: "We seek no conflict with anybody, including the Communist Chinese. We will stay strong for our interests. And that's a big part of what this trip is all about."

The US views China's failure to send high-level representatives as a potential opening, with Hegseth saying, "We can't account for whether China engages or not. All we know is that we're here. And we will be here."

The trip is Hegseth's second to the region since his appointment. In March, he traveled to the Philippines and Japan.

It is unclear if his visits will be enough to ease regional concerns over Trump's willingness to stand by their side in the face of Chinese saber-rattling. The US leader has so far projected a straight-up transactional — if not to say coercive — approach to relations, as well as an attitude averse to foreign engagement despite Washington's pursuit of a "free and open Indo-Pacific."

US, China and Ukraine not the only security issues being discussed 

Although Macron's Friday speech emphasized the importance of European and Asian commitments to cooperation and unity when it comes to trade, defense and Ukraine, those are not the only issues that will be addressed at the three-day event.

Among the raft of other pressing issues the conference will address are the continuing civil war in Myanmar (ongoing since May 2021) and the outbreak of violence between Thailand and Cambodia this week in a border skirmish.

Perhaps gravest of all, however, is the flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

Although a truce has been declared in the current conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors, dozens of people have been killed by gunfire, missile strikes and drone attacks as the two nations engage in their most serious military confrontation in decades.

Neither India nor Pakistan have sent defense ministers to Singapore, opting instead to dispatch senior military delegations. No meetings are scheduled to take place between the two.

Edited by: Zac Crellin