China’s defence chief warns against coercion, avoids US, Japan mention

What the report says

China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun opened the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on Wednesday with a call for countries to reject coercion, provocative actions and what he described as the return of outdated historical thinking. According to Al Jazeera, Dong urged a more inclusive approach to international security and spoke in broad terms about shared governance and military cooperation, while stopping short of naming the United States or Japan directly.

The forum, a major Chinese military diplomacy event that runs for three days, comes amid regional friction over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea, and at a time when questions persist about US security commitments in Asia. Al Jazeera reported that Dong’s comments followed earlier meetings with visiting defence officials from Myanmar, Brunei, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, along with the ASEAN secretary-general, where he pressed the case for deeper cooperation.

Al Jazeera noted that the speech was widely read as indirect criticism of Japan, reflecting the sharp deterioration in China-Japan ties after Tokyo signalled it could respond to a hypothetical attack on Taiwan. The article also said the forum has become Beijing’s main platform for military diplomacy, used to promote a multipolar global order and a larger role for the Global South.

Visiting delegations included lower-level Western representation, while some Asian neighbours sent senior officials. A North Korean military delegation was also attending, underscoring the forum’s role as a venue for China to engage a wide mix of regional and international partners.