China’s defense minister calls for an end to provocative actions
In Beijing, China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun, at the opening of the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, called on countries to stop provocative actions and counter the revival of “regressive historical trends.” Al Jazeera English reports.
In his speech, Dong did not directly mention the United States, Japan or China’s other rivals. At the same time, his remarks are likely to be seen as veiled criticism of Japan. The minister said there was a need to remember the lessons of history and remain vigilant against manifestations of hegemony, militarism and historical revisionism.
Security cooperation
On the eve of the forum, Dong held separate meetings with defense officials from Myanmar, Brunei, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, as well as with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. During these talks, he promoted the idea of deepening military cooperation and jointly managing security.
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The Beijing Xiangshan Forum lasts three days and brings together hundreds of military officials, diplomats and scholars from dozens of countries. China has developed it over two decades as its main platform for military diplomacy and an alternative to Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue.
Tensions around Taiwan
The forum is taking place amid heightened regional tensions around Taiwan and disputed areas of the South China Sea, as well as doubts about the United States’ traditional security commitments in Asia. China considers democratically governed Taiwan to be its territory and has increased military pressure around the island, including by periodically conducting drills. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over the island.
Relations between China and Japan deteriorated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last year that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response. The United States sent a delegation to the forum led by senior Pentagon official Cynthia Carras, while Vietnam is represented by Defense Minister Phan Van Giang and Malaysia by Deputy Defense Minister Adly Zahari.
