Forum on security deepens exchanges to better protect international order and peace

The 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, a major conference on global security issues, opened on Wednesday in the Chinese capital.

The participation of defense officials and representatives from more than 100 countries, regions and international organizations speaks volumes about the high attention the international community pays to security issues as regional tensions and military conflicts are posing an increasing threat to global peace.

The theme for this year's forum, "Upholding International Order and Promoting Peaceful Development", is particularly pertinent to the security environment of the Asia-Pacific.

In a recent development, the United States on Monday unveiled the deployment of its Typhon intermediate-range missile system in Japan, during Resolute Dragon, the annual military exercises of the US and Japan. The two-week drills starting on Thursday involve 20,000 Japanese and US troops, along with warships and missile batteries.

The deployment of such an offensive missile system in Japan is a cause of concern for other regional countries, and is quite likely to trigger a new round of a regional arms race.

In another development, Philippine vessels tried to ram into a China Coast Guard ship in the waters near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea on Tuesday. China Coast Guard ships lawfully implemented control measures against the Philippine ships. Such provocations by the Philippines in the South China Sea have become increasingly frequent in recent months and have become a major destabilizing factor in the region.

As far as the maritime disputes in the South China Sea are concerned, China has long maintained that they should be settled through talks. However, the Philippines is hellbent on acting as a frontline pawn of the US in its geopolitical games.

All these destabilizing factors call for intensive exchanges, such as those at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum that are conducive to synergizing regional actions in the Asia-Pacific to prevent the region being turned into an arena for geopolitical struggle.

China has proposed the Global Security Initiative, which advocates the concept of common security. The GSI calls for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and maintains that the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter must be abided by. The GSI particularly advocates peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation.

The GSI also stresses that the legitimate and reasonable security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and addressed properly, not persistently ignored or systemically challenged.

China has also introduced its Global Governance Initiative, which is a meaningful response to the global governance deficit that underlies the security crises that have arisen. The GGI outlines five core principles: adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on taking concrete actions.

A lack of understanding and trust is always the source of disputes or even conflicts between countries. The more officials and experts from different countries exchange ideas and views on a wide range of issues concerning global security, governance and development, the more they will enhance common understanding.

The Beijing Xiangshan Forum, jointly organized by the China Association for Military Sciences and the Chinese Institute for International Strategic Studies, is meant to provide a platform for defense officials and representatives from different countries and regions to compare notes on global security issues. The two initiatives provide apt lenses with which to focus their discussions.

The forum features four plenary sessions and eight parallel panel discussions on topics such as building a fair and reasonable global security governance system, the trajectory of major-power relations, and the current state and future of arms control. Increased understanding will help dispel misgivings and help avoid the escalation of tensions and damage to the ties between countries.

The forum also provides an opportunity for dignitaries, politicians and defense officials from other countries to gain a better understanding of why the military parade China staged this year was not a display of aggression and why China's increasingly modernized defense capabilities are conducive to world peace and a more just and fairer global order.