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Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun opened the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Wednesday with a strong appeal for international security cooperation, while issuing a pointed warning against provocative actions and the resurgence of historical militarism. In his opening address, the Chinese military leader championed a vision of shared security governance, deliberately refraining from explicitly naming rival powers such as the United States or Japan in his remarks.
Addressing an assembly of foreign military officials, diplomats, and international security experts, Dong stressed the importance of drawing clear lessons from history to prevent the re-emergence of aggressive policies. He stated that the global community must maintain high vigilance against latent manifestations of hegemony, militarism, and historical revisionism, urging international stakeholders not to turn a blind eye to or condone such developments.
The defence chief further asserted that nations must actively rally broad-based forces of justice in order to suppress what he characterized as the resurgence of historical dregs. Proposing a refreshed and more inclusive framework to resolve international disputes, Dong called for peaceful mechanisms of engagement, even as he avoided outlining specific policy adjustments or leveling direct accusations against specific adversaries during his speech.
The three-day defence gathering comes during a period of heightened geopolitical strain throughout the Asia-Pacific region, particularly surrounding territorial flashpoints such as Taiwan and the contested waters of the South China Sea. Regional discussions are also unfolding amid mounting uncertainty regarding traditional American security alliances and commitments across Asia.
Diplomatic timing has added an extra layer of significance to the proceedings, with the forum taking place just one week ahead of an expected official visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington. The planned face-to-face summit between President Xi and US President Donald Trump has placed a spotlight on how Beijing frames its security messaging in international settings.
Prior to his keynote address on Wednesday, Dong engaged in a series of targeted bilateral meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries to set the stage for the conference. In separate discussions, the Chinese minister met with defence officials representing Myanmar, Brunei, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia, alongside Kao Kim Hourn, the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to advocate for closer military ties and mutual security governance.
Over the course of the past two decades, Beijing has systematically cultivated the Xiangshan Forum into its foremost venue for military diplomacy. Positioned as a carefully organized and tightly scripted alternative to Singapore’s annual Shangri-La Dialogue, the conference provides China with an influential platform to advocate for a multipolar international system and amplify the voices of developing countries across the Global South.
While the Chinese defence minister avoided naming specific foreign governments, his remarks concerning historical revisionism were widely interpreted by analysts as veiled criticism aimed at Japan. Bilateral ties between Beijing and Tokyo have deteriorated markedly following statements made last year by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested that a hypothetical Chinese military action against Taiwan could trigger a direct Japanese defence response.
In response to those statements, Chinese officials have repeatedly accused Japan of seeking to revive its militaristic past. Beijing regards the self-governed island of Taiwan as an integral part of Chinese territory and has persistently exerted military pressure on the island through large-scale war games and drills, while the government in Taipei continues to reject all sovereignty claims put forward by the mainland.
The broader implications of Japanese security policy also became a prominent topic among Chinese scholars attending the forum. Wu Shicun, the chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, told the Chinese state-run news agency CNS that Japan’s growing strategic involvement in the South China Sea could eventually pose a greater threat to long-term regional stability than the military presence of the United States.
Wu cautioned that Tokyo regards the crucial maritime waterway as a potential springboard to project influence and potentially invade Southeast Asia while seeking control over vital international shipping routes. He warned that Japanese strategic maneuvers would negatively impact ongoing consultations for a regional Code of Conduct, impede maritime cooperation, and disrupt peaceful dispute resolution mechanisms, urging regional nations to remain watchful.
For the hundreds of visiting international representatives, participating in the Beijing gathering requires navigating complex strategic calculations between competing global powers. Western countries generally opted for a restrained presence at the forum, sending lower-level delegations, including the United States contingent headed by senior Pentagon official Cynthia Carras.
In contrast, neighbouring countries seeking to maintain diplomatic equilibrium between Washington and Beijing dispatched senior military leadership to the forum. High-ranking regional figures in attendance included Vietnamese Defence Minister Phan Van Giang and Malaysian Vice Defence Minister Adly Zahari, both representing states directly invested in maintaining stability across regional sea lanes.
The event also drew representation from North Korea, with a delegation led by Vice Minister of National Defence Kim Kang Il traveling from Pyongyang to attend the proceedings, according to North Korea’s state media outlet KCNA. The broad mix of attendees underscores how the Xiangshan Forum continues to serve as an active arena for dialogue and diplomatic maneuvering in an increasingly polarized security environment.
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