The 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium opened in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Monday. The event has drawn approximately 150 high-level naval delegations from nearly 30 countries around the Pacific Rim.
During the symposium, Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission, delivered a keynote address, emphasizing the need for unity and cooperation to uphold global maritime security and development.
"The global maritime governance is facing many new opportunities and challenges. We need to unite and cooperate to jointly safeguard maritime security and development," said Zhang.
Zhang called on all sides to abandon the Cold War mentality and promote peaceful development. He said the PLA Navy has been actively providing public security services by conducting escort missions and offering disaster relief.
Taniela Tuita, Commander of the Tonga Royal Navy, expressed his gratitude to the PLA Navy for their support and assistance following the volcanic eruption and tsunami that struck Tonga in 2022.
"I feel overwhelmingly happy to express my sincere thanks to the PLA Navy for your friendship, and all the kind assistance to Tonga after the volcanic eruption and Tsunami that occurred in Tonga in 2022," said Taniela Tuita, Commander of Tonga Royal Navy.
A notable absence was the Philippines delegation. In response to inquiries about their absence, a Chinese official noted that invitations had been extended to all member and observer states.
Participants voiced a common belief that disputes and confrontations should be approached through dialog and consultation.
Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, highlighted the importance of face-to-face discussions in understanding different perspectives and resolving disagreements.
"I think every time we get a chance together to talk, we can better understand each other's perspectives, find the areas of disagreement and openly and transparently talk through them. And then hopefully, we can come to an agreement," said Angus Topshee, Commander of Royal Canadian Navy.
This marks the first time in ten years that China has hosted the Western Pacific Naval Symposium. The agenda includes discussions on a variety of topics, such as unplanned encounters at sea and the use of unmanned systems, underscoring the need to address both traditional and non-traditional security threats.
Western Pacific Naval Symposium convenes in China’s Qingdao
Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to France marks a pivotal moment for strengthening Sino-French strategic cooperation amid global tensions, according to Pascal Boniface, founder of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs.
From May 5 to 10, Xi will tour Europe, including stops in France, Serbia, and Hungary -- his first European visit in five years.
During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Paris, Boniface shared his perspectives on the importance of this visit.
"It's a very important visit, because, as you have mentioned, President Xi has not visited Europe for the last five years due to COVID-19. And it's a very important period of time due to many wars: the wars between Russia and Ukraine, the war in Gaza between Palestinians and Israelis. I think it's a very important time to enhance the cooperation, strategic cooperation between France and China, and to think about the way we could together try to ease the tension and to make progress towards peace," Boniface explained.
Boniface also discussed the potential impact of Xi's visit on Sino-French relations, emphasizing that it provides a platform for Xi to articulate Chinese policies to the French people.
"Because President Xi will be seen by most of the French people and will read important speeches, so he could elaborate Chinese policy and present its policy to the French people. It is good to have a visit, because it will be in the spotlight for two days, or even before by the fact, because we have begun to speak about the Chinese president's visit since now. So it's a very good way. And I think we need to have regular visits, regular meetings between our two leaders," Boniface noted.
Regarding Europe's strategic autonomy -- a policy endorsed by French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to China last year -- Boniface stressed the significant work still required for France to achieve this goal without compromising its commitments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
"To be frank, many of French people share this view, but not too many people inside Europe. So it's really a work in progress, because most European countries are dedicated to American umbrella, strategic umbrella. And so, for some of them, most of them, to be frank, the strategic autonomy of Europe could be a way to be separated from the USA. It's not the case, so we have to work a little bit more to convince our partners. But we could have strategic autonomy without leaving NATO," Boniface said.
Expert highlights significance of President Xi's upcoming visit to France
Expert highlights significance of President Xi's upcoming visit to France
