The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum concluded on Thursday after three days of discussions on global security governance, with delegates from nearly 100 countries, regions and international organizations exchanging views on security challenges and cooperation in a changing international landscape.
Held under the theme "Build Consensus on Stability, Advance Security Governance Together," the forum's 20th-anniversary edition featured four plenary sessions and eight parallel sessions, including closed-door discussions on issues such as the Ukraine crisis and the situation in the Middle East.
Topics ranged from the international order and strategic stability to regional conflicts and Asia-Pacific security, with delegates weighing how to strengthen multilateral cooperation and what responsibility major powers bear for global security challenges.
"China is here not only to serve its own vested interest. It's a true engine of global peace," said Jean Christophe Iseux von Pfetten, chairman of the Royal Institute for East-West Strategic Studies (RIESS).
The participation of developing countries was a particular focus of this year's forum, as their role and voice in global security governance have gained greater attention.
Two plenary sessions on Thursday morning focused on Asia-Pacific security and stability and the role and vision of developing countries, bringing together representatives from Asia, Africa and Latin America to discuss international security issues and concerns facing developing nations.
"I believe that the smaller countries or the medium [sized] countries, they need to exert [themselves], and they need to participate in international forums and they need to be heard. And such forums like the Xiangshan Forum provide a voice to these countries also where they can come [to] air their opinions," said Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali, permanent secretary of Pakistan's Ministry of Defense.
The Xiangshan Forum ran alongside the fourth China-Africa Peace and Security Forum, which brought together defense officials and military representatives from the African Union and 41 African countries in the year marking the 70th anniversary of the start of China-Africa diplomatic relations.
The gathering focused on deepening defense cooperation between the two sides, from strategic coordination and military exchanges to maritime security in emerging fields.
Beijing Xiangshan Forum closes with focus on global security governance
