China's Defence Chief Pitches Multilateral Security While Sidestepping Direct US-Japan Criticism

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun opened the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Wednesday with a carefully calibrated speech on regional security, calling for countries to abandon provocative military actions and resist what he framed as the resurgence of historical militarism and imperialism. He did not name the United States or Japan directly, but his language—warnings against "hegemony, militarism and historical revisionism"—was widely understood as veiled criticism of Japan's recent military posturing, particularly Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's suggestion last year that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response.

The forum itself has become China's premier platform for military diplomacy over the past two decades, carefully constructed as a counterweight to Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue. It brings together hundreds of military officers, diplomats, and scholars from dozens of countries over three days, providing Beijing with a high-profile stage to champion a multipolar world order and advocate for greater influence for the Global South. This year's gathering is taking place against a backdrop of escalating regional tensions: China has intensified military pressure around Taiwan through repeated war games, while disputes over the South China Sea remain unresolved. The timing is also significant—the forum precedes an expected visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump, suggesting China is positioning itself diplomatically on questions of regional security architecture.

Dong's public remarks built on bilateral meetings he held with defence officials from Myanmar, Brunei, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia, as well as with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. In these sessions, he pitched a vision of deeper military cooperation and shared security governance as an alternative framework for managing regional tensions. The approach reflects China's broader strategy of building coalitions among countries that feel sidelined by traditional US-led security arrangements in Asia.

The composition of delegations attending the forum underscores the diplomatic divisions at play. Western governments, including the United States, sent lower-level representatives—the US contingent was led by senior Pentagon official Cynthia Carras rather than a cabinet-level official. By contrast, countries attempting to balance relationships between Washington and Beijing dispatched their top defence leadership: Vietnam sent Defence Minister Phan Van Giang, and Malaysia sent Vice Defence Minister Adly Zahari. North Korea also sent a delegation led by Vice Minister Kim Kang Il, according to state media.

While Dong avoided direct public criticism of Japan or the United States, Chinese scholars at the forum were less restrained. Wu Shicun, chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, warned that Japan's growing involvement in the South China Sea could prove more destabilizing than American activity in the region over the long term. Wu argued that Japan views the waterway as a potential springboard for military operations and control of sea lanes, and suggested that Tokyo's actions would complicate efforts to resolve disputes and negotiate a Code of Conduct among regional states.

The tension between China's diplomatic language and the underlying message is deliberate. By framing the discussion in terms of shared security governance and warnings against historical revisionism rather than direct accusations, Dong positioned China as the voice of multilateral cooperation while implicitly casting Japan as the revisionist power. Taiwan's government continues to reject Beijing's sovereignty claims, and the island remains a flashpoint for potential military confrontation. The forum's timing and messaging suggest China is attempting to build regional support for its security vision ahead of high-level talks with the Trump administration, testing whether countries in Asia will align with Beijing's multipolar framework or maintain their traditional security partnerships with Washington.