Xiangshan forum helps smaller nations speak up

A platform for all voices

Zhao said that China has made great progress in global integration since launching its reform and opening-up efforts, but it is also facing increasingly complex challenges.

"Some big nations have even considered China as a strategic competitor. This in some ways has affected China's peaceful development progress," Zhao said."Therefore, it is crucial for China to conduct dialogues with other nations to resolve misunderstandings and help them better understand China."

"We have many bilateral security exchange mechanisms with other countries, but multilateral platforms like the Xiangshan forum is a rarity, thus it is very important for China's military diplomacy and security dialogue," he said.

Apart from the typical topic of big nation competitions between China, Russia and the United States, Latin America is also facing new security issues as Brazil clashes with neighbor Venezuela over border migrant issues.

In Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia are currently in a tense standoff over the use of the water in the Nile River, a result of Ethiopia's plans to build a hydropower dam on the river's upstream.

The speakers also warned against the increasing spread of terrorism to countries from Central Asia and ASEAN after the neutralization of the Islamic State in Syria.

Given these issues, Zhao said, the Xiangshan forum is also a key platform for defense officials, especially from small and medium-sized countries, to voice their opinions, build strategic trust with peers and find common ground for cooperation.

Jin Canrong, vice-president of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, said there are many high-level security forums in the world, including the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

However, Jin said the Shangri-La Dialogue is backed by the United Kingdom and the US, and it tends to have an unfriendly atmosphere toward competitors like China and Russia. The Munich conference focuses mostly on issues in Europe, so many other smaller nations' voices go unheard.

Major General Albert Murasira, Rwanda's defense minister, said small and medium-sized nations have little chance and time to voice their positions on the world stage.

"But the Xiangshan forum has offered a voice to all delegates, and it is a great opportunity to convey our message," Murasira said.

Tea Banh, Cambodia's defense minister, said in his speech that competition between big nations can often sacrifice the interests of smaller nations. Yet China has maintained a fair and cooperative relationship with other Southeast Asian countries regardless of their size.

"This is sufficient proof that a foreign policy based on win-win cooperation is reasonable and practical," he said.