China Hosts 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Global Security

China hosted the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum from September 15 to 17, 2026, marking the 20th anniversary of the Track 1.5 dialogue platform. Dong Jun, China's Minister of National Defense, opened the event by calling for an end to provocative acts and warning against hegemony, militarism, and historical revisionism. These remarks were widely interpreted as a critique of Japan following comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding potential military intervention in Taiwan.

Throughout the forum, Dong Jun urged international cooperation to govern artificial intelligence and prevent its military misuse, a call made amid ongoing strategic rivalry with the United States. While the U.S. Department of Defense sent representative Cynthia Carras to the event, negotiators from both nations were scheduled to meet in New York later that weekend to discuss AI. The forum also served as a venue for military diplomacy, with Dong Jun holding separate meetings with defense officials from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Myanmar, North Korea, and several ASEAN nations.

The event featured approximately 2,000 participants from over 100 countries, including Russian delegates and representatives from the Global South. Tensions surfaced during panel discussions, notably between an Iranian military officer and a Saudi Arabian researcher over regional sovereignty and unipolar systems. The forum concluded with a renewed emphasis on multilateralism and the Global Security Initiative, with Dong Jun asserting that dialogue and consultation are the only way forward for resolving global conflicts.