13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum to be held in mid-September

The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will be held in the Chinese capital from September 15 to 17, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

"The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will be held at the Beijing International Convention Center from September 15 to 17. Themed on 'Building Consensus on Stability, Advancing Security Governance Together,' the forum will feature four plenary sessions on international order and strategic stability, local conflicts: predicaments and pathways to resolution, risks and challenges to security and stability in the Asia-Pacific, and the role and vision of developing countries," Zhang said. "Eight parallel sessions will be arranged, covering hot topics such as major-country relations and strategic stability, Asian approaches to addressing security challenges, sea lane security and maritime security governance, risks and regulation of military applications of emerging technologies, and trends in outer space security governance. The 4th China-Africa Peace and Security Forum will also be convened in conjunction with the Xiangshan Forum," Zhang said.

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Always upholding the spirit of equality, openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning, the forum has evolved from a Track II defense think tank exchange into a major platform for international security and defense dialog, which combines official and academic participation. It serves to build consensus, deepen mutual trust, and advance cooperation in promoting global security governance and fostering a community with a shared future for humanity. We sincerely invite defense and military leaders of all countries, representatives of international organizations, and renowned experts and scholars to participate in the forum and together celebrate its 20th anniversary and explore solutions to global security governance," he said.

13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum to be held in mid-September

Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have prioritized military buildup and defense budget increases at the expense of public resources and residents' daily livelihoods, Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

The DPP authorities are pushing the Taiwan region's defense budget to a record high of 1.1225 trillion New Taiwan dollars (about 35.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2027, surpassing 1 trillion New Taiwan dollars for the first time. Out of the proposed 3.9 trillion New Taiwan dollars total budget for 2027, defense accounts for nearly 29 percent, according to media reports.

"The mainstream public opinion in Taiwan society is to pursue peace, development, communication and cooperation. The Lai Ching-te authorities, driven by their own selfish interests and going against the overwhelming tide, have been desperately catering to and pleasing external forces, ramping up military buildup by squandering the hard-earned money of the public, which has greatly undermined the well-being of the people in Taiwan. They will eventually deplete Taiwan's resources and face an inevitable fate of downfall," Zhang said in response to a related question.

Taiwan's DPP authorities squeeze people's livelihoods for military buildup: military spokesman