Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍) yesterday denounced “hegemonic logic and acts of bullying” during remarks at a Beijing forum that were full of thinly veiled references to the US.
Organizers said that about 1,800 representatives from 100 countries, including political, military and academic leaders, were in Beijing for the Xiangshan Forum.
The three-day event comes as China presents itself as a mediator of fraught global issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Photo: Reuters
Addressing attendees at the opening ceremony, Dong warned of “new threats and challenges” now facing world peace.
“While the themes of the times — peace and development — remain unchanged, the clouds of a Cold War mentality, hegemonism and protectionism have not lifted,” he said.
“Historical memory must serve as a constant warning to recognize and oppose hegemonic logic, and acts of bullying that are disguised in a new form,” he added.
The comments were a subtle reference to the US, China’s primary competitor in the past few years across a wide range of economic and geopolitical arenas.
Dong’s remarks came two weeks after a grand military parade in Tiananmen Square to commemorate the end of World War II.
The parade saw China unveil a host of new weapons, including advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles, drones and laser technology.
In attendance were leaders that have long been at odds with Western governments, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Dong’s remarks also touched on China’s protection of maritime interests — a topic that ruffles feathers in the region and beyond.
Several countries, including Taiwan, are in long-standing disputes with Beijing over sovereignty in the South China Sea.
Recent months have seen a series of confrontations between China and close US ally the Philippines in the waterway.
“The so-called freedom of navigation advocated by certain countries outside the region and the so-called international arbitration advocated by certain claimants blatantly challenge the fundamental norms of international relations,” Dong said.
China’s safeguarding of “territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests ... is a firm defense of the post-war order and international rule of law,” he said.
The Philippines this week said that one person was injured when a water cannon attack by a China Coast Guard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of a fisheries bureau ship near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
The defense forum comes with anticipation growing over a potential meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump.
Dong held a video call this week with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, which covered thorny topics including the South China Sea and Taiwan.
The Pentagon said the talks were “candid and constructive,” with Hegseth and Dong agreeing to further discussions.
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