Context
Departing US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said on Thursday that the US wasn’t attempting to “hold down” China and that he doubts Beijing intends to match America’s military strength. Gates spoke on his way to the yearly Shangri-La Dialogue, the most prominent Asian security conference, scheduled in Singapore for 03-05 June, where he is due to hold a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie on the dialogue’s sidelines.
