China has warned against interference in its affairs and against further conflicts, as regional tensions rise.
“The world today faces another crossroads: peace or war, dialogue or confrontation,” said Defense Minister Dong Jung during the opening ceremony of the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on September 18.
He stated that Taiwan is part of China, adding that China’s military is a powerful force capable of defending “reunification.”
Beijing will never allow Taiwan’s independence efforts to succeed, Dong said. He added that China is prepared to repel any “foreign military intervention” at any time, without specifying the countries he implied could attempt such an intervention.
Taiwan, home to 23.4 million people, has had its own government since 1949. However, China claims it as part of its territory and often threatens to take it, not ruling out the use of force.
The United States, Taiwan’s main supporter, is legally obligated to help maintain the island’s self-defense capabilities under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, according to Radio Free Asia.
Due to disputes, especially with the Philippines, over resource-rich areas in the South China Sea, Dong emphasized that China will defend its territorial sovereignty as well as its rights and interests.
According to the Chinese minister, the pursuit of absolute military dominance and the approach that “might makes right” will lead “to jungle law.”
Finally, China declared a coral island in the South China Sea a nature reserve.
The Xiangshan Forum is considered China’s counterweight to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue international security conference in Singapore.
Western countries usually send only lower-level representatives to the Xiangshan Forum – Germany and the U.S. sent military attachés from their embassies. Meanwhile, China sent a low-level delegation to Singapore this year for the first time in a long period, preventing a meeting between Dong and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Several countries from Central Asia and the Global South sent their defense ministers. According to China, defense politicians and experts from more than 100 countries confirmed their participation in the Xiangshan Forum.
