Defense ministers from Asia and other regions gathered in Singapore on Friday for a security forum, with their discussions focusing on escalating tensions in the South China Sea, North Korea's weapon development and Russia's war against Ukraine, amid U.S.-China rivalry.

During the three-day talks, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China's Defense Minister Dong Jun will deliver speeches, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the organizer of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.

Other topics expected to be discussed are China's military pressure on Taiwan's new administration of President Lai Ching-te, the civil war in Myanmar and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The conference's keynote speech will be given by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He is expected to articulate his country's legal position on parts of the South China Sea that lie within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

Since last year, tense encounters between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea have become more frequent as Beijing has been intensifying provocative activities in the disputed waters.

As in past years, the main conference could be overshadowed by bilateral meetings to be held on the sidelines, including the first in-person talks between defense chiefs of the United States and China in one and a half years.

Austin last met a Chinese defense minister in November 2022, when he and Wei Fenghe, who was then in the position, were in Cambodia for a regional meeting of defense ministers.

Japan and the United States are arranging bilateral talks and a trilateral meeting with South Korea, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said Friday morning in Tokyo, adding that Japan-China talks are also being considered.

Arrangements are also underway for a bilateral meeting between Kihara and his South Korean counterpart Shin Won Sik, according to government sources.

The security forum is held as North Korea launched a rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite that ended in failure Monday and fired suspected short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Thursday.

The war in Ukraine, which has raged for over two years, as well as the Israel-Hamas conflict that began on Oct. 7 will be discussed at the security forum.

More than 550 delegates from about 40 countries are expected to attend in person. The forum has been held annually in Singapore since 2002.