China defense minister calls for ‘negotiation’ to end Ukraine, Gaza wars

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said Friday that “negotiation” was the only solution to conflicts such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as he addressed a global gathering of military officials in Beijing.

Scores of delegates are in Beijing for the Xiangshan Forum, dubbed China’s answer to the annual Shangri-La meeting in Singapore. It is hosting more than 500 representatives from over 90 countries and organizations across three days, according to state media.

Dong told the opening ceremony: “To resolve hotspot issues such as the crisis in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, promoting peace and negotiation is the only way out.” “There is no winner in war and conflict, and confrontation leads nowhere,” Dong said.

“The more acute the conflict, the more we cannot give up dialogue and consultation. The end of any conflict is reconciliation,” he added, calling on all countries to promote “peaceful development and inclusive governance.” More official speeches are expected on Friday, and top military representatives from Russia, Pakistan, Singapore, Iran, Germany and others will participate in roundtable talks.

Topics for discussion at the forum include US-China relations, security in Europe and Asia, and the challenges of defense in a multipolar world. Dong in his speech urged against “the proliferation of national security concepts” to ensure “new technologies can better benefit the whole mankind” — a likely reference to the United States’ efforts to block Beijing’s access to advanced technology.

“At a time of high global security risks and increased instability and unpredictability, the responsibility for building the defense and security capacity of all countries is enormous,” Dong said. Beijing, he added, “is willing to work with all parties to strengthen strategic alignment, deepen defense consultations, discuss the signing of bilateral and multilateral agreements on defense cooperation.”

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Chase is attending the forum, just a few days after top Washington and Beijing commanders held their first talks. Washington and Beijing remain at odds on issues from trade to the status of self-ruled Taiwan and China’s increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions.

But they have sought to re-establish regular military-to-military talks in a bid to prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control. A key flashpoint is the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels have engaged in a series of high-profile confrontations with Philippine ships in recent months.

China claims almost all of the economically vital body of water despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. On Thursday, senior military official Lt. Gen. He Lei told journalists at the forum that China would “crush” any foreign incursion into its sovereign territory including in the South China Sea.