At the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's Defence Minister Dong Jun offered the world a familiar paradox: a call for peace wrapped in the language of rivalry, a plea for cooperation delivered from a stage built to contest another's influence. Speaking without naming names, Dong warned against militarism and historical revisionism — words whose targets were unmistakable — while positioning China as the natural steward of a multipolar security order. The gathering, timed ahead of an anticipated Xi-Trump summit, reflects a deeper contest over which vision of Asian security will define the coming de