U.S.-China tensions, North Korea to dominate Asia security forum

Defense ministers from Asia and other regions gathered in Singapore for a security forum that started Friday, with heightened tensions between the United States and China, as well as North Korea's weapons program, expected to top the agenda after Beijing declined a bilateral meeting of the two countries' defense chiefs.During the three-day meeting, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China's Defense Minister Li Shangfu will deliver speeches, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies that sponsors the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.Among the issues to be dis…READ FULL ARTICLE