The 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue is underway in Singapore. The head of China's delegation to the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), professor Meng Xiangqing from the National Defense University, responded on Friday afternoon to remarks made earlier in the day by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Meng expressed hope that China and the US would move in the same direction, implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and promote military-to-military relations along a healthy, stable, and sustainable path.

Earlier on Friday morning, Hegseth delivered a speech at the first plenary session and participated in an interactive discussion. Meng noted that Hegseth had referred in his speech to the recent Beijing meeting between the Chinese and US presidents and the consensus reached there. 

"From the questions and reactions at this morning's session, I could clearly sense the high level of attention that the recent meeting between the two heads of state has attracted at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue. This further demonstrates that a stable China-US relationship is beneficial not only to the peoples of both countries, but also to regional stability and world peace," Meng said.

Meng further emphasized that the most important political understanding the two heads of state reached was the agreement to build "a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability." 

 "'A constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability' between China and the US should be positive stability grounded in cooperation, healthy stability characterized by well-managed competition, normal stability with differences kept under control, and enduring stability that holds the promise of lasting peace. It should provide strategic guidance for China-US relations over the next three years and beyond. We look forward to both sides moving in the same direction, translating the consensus reached by the two heads of state into concrete actions, and advancing military-to-military relations along a healthy, stable, and sustainable trajectory," Meng said.