A press conference regarding preparations for the 9th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Friday in Beijing Photo: Yan Yunming/GT
The 9th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, co-hosted by the China Association of Military Science and the China Institute of International Strategic Studies, will be held from October 20 to 22 in Beijing.
As a high-level security and defense forum, the event has attracted extensive attention worldwide. To date, more than 530 participants from 76 official delegations have confirmed their attendance, including 23 defense ministers and six army chiefs, said Pi Mingyong, secretary-general of the 9th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, at a press conference on Friday. In addition, the forum will also see the participation of 100 foreign scholars from 53 countries and 60 Chinese experts. Numbers of both high-level foreign officials and leading foreign scholars are much higher than those of previous forums.
This year's Beijing Xiangshan Forum, themed "Maintaining International Order and Promoting Peace in the Asia-Pacific," will keep closely within global trends and focus on four topics at four plenary sessions: major country relations and international order, security risk management in the Asia-Pacific, the interests of small- and medium-sized countries and common security, and the international arms control regime and global stability.
Eight concurrent sessions - twice as many as before - are also scheduled. These sessions will deal with innovation in security concepts, strategic trust and confidence-building measures, Asia-Pacific security architecture, dynamics in maritime security, international cooperation on counter-terrorism, security developments in the Middle East, scientific and technological innovation and international security, and artificial intelligence and future warfare. A round-table seminar for young officers and scholars will also be held during the forum.
It is also worth noting that, against the backdrop of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), a special plenary session - "The 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and peace and development in the world" - is set to take place. Attendants will be invited to visit the Grand Exhibition of Achievements in Commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Founding of the PRC at the Beijing Exhibition Center on Tuesday. This will be a great opportunity to show the world China's achievements in development and contributions to world peace over the past seven decades.
Adhering to the ideas of "Equality, Openness, Inclusiveness, Mutual Learning," this Forum will maintain its commitment to "pooling collective wisdom, expanding consensus, boosting cooperation, working to enhance security dialogue and defense contacts, and promoting regional peace and stability," said Pi.
