（Source：Global Times，2025-09-17）
The 12th edition of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's top security and defense annual forum, commences at the Beijing International Convention Center on September 17, 2025, in Beijing. Photo: VCG
The 12th edition of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's top security and defense annual forum, commenced at the Beijing International Convention Center on Wednesday under the theme of "Safeguarding the International Order and Promoting Peaceful Development Together."
The gathering, coming after China's massive parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, is being held amid heightened global and regional tensions, making it a vital platform for participants to address peace and security issues, explore conflict resolution and foster cooperation and communication.
On Wednesday, participants from different countries interviewed by the Global Times expressed strong support for the forum's significance, voicing expectations for China to play a central role in fostering global stability and development.
Ahead of the opening day, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said on Tuesday that the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum has a wider and more balanced representation than ever, with a total of 1,800-plus participants registered.
He said that until Tuesday, official delegations from more than 100 countries, regions and international organizations have confirmed their attendance. This includes over 40 ministerial representatives and military chiefs, the Under Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, and the Vice President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
During a press briefing on September 11, Wu Jiangang, a member of the preparatory work committee for the forum, said it will feature four plenary sessions and eight parallel panel discussions, focusing on topics such as building a fair and reasonable global security governance system, the trajectory of major-power relations, and the current state and future of arms control.
Handshakes between service members contribute more to peace than the exchange of fire, and the chorus of many builds harmony more than the monologue of a single voice, Jiang said on Wednesday.
In the spotlight
The forum's opening day featured a series of high-level interviews addressing major-power relations, regional conflict resolution, global governance, and the application and regulation of emerging technologies.
Young military officers and scholars from different countries participated in a seminar to discuss wartime memories and contemporary peace, while leading experts conducted a dialogue on the development and governance of AI technologies.
In major country relations, China-US relations have become the focus of attention,especially after a video talk between Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on September 10, a week before the forum.
On the sidelines of the forum, Chad Sbragia, former deputy assistant secretary of defense of US, told the Global Times that conversations and dialogue are the right way for the two powers to engage.
Sbragia, who is currently a Research Staff Member with the Institute of International Studies participated as an interviewee in the High-end Interview that themed "The right way for major countries to get along" on Wednesday morning. The session also featured Wu Xinbo, Dean and professor of the Institute of International Studies of Fudan University.
During the forum, Chad Sbragia was presented with a thoughtful gift from Chinese military expert He Lei: a photograph from the 2024 Beijing Xiangshan Forum, capturing the two holding a Chinese calligraphy scroll inscribed with "Harmony is Precious," which He had previously gifted to Sbragia.
Upon receiving the photo on Wednesday, Chad told He that "this gift is in my office."
Retired Vice Admiral Ahmed Saeed, President of Pakistan's National Institute of Maritime Affairs, a think tank based in Islamabad, told the Global Times that the Beijing Xiangshan Forum has significantly advanced dialogue among strategists, defense analysts and security experts.
Siswanto Rusdi, director of the National Maritime Institute, a think tank based in Jakarta, Indonesia, praised the forum as an effective platform for deepening understanding of China's Global Governance Initiative (GGI) and Global Security Initiative (GSI). These initiatives provide valuable opportunities for ASEAN members to engage and share common perspectives on peace, security, and logistical matters, Rusdi noted.
He added that the forum facilitates dialogue and cooperation, enabling diverse stakeholders to collaboratively address global challenges.
Dmitrii Stefanovich, a research fellow with the Moscow-based Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times that the platform offers a great opportunity for people to exchange views with Chinese friends and other Global South partners to explore joint solutions to global challenges.
Upholding victorious outcome
As the year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, issues such as working together to uphold the victorious outcome of the World Anti-Fascist War and the post-war international order were among the focuses of discussions on the first day.
In the first session with the theme "Contemporary Significance of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War," Harold Raugh, president of the International Commission of Military History, highlighted China's overlooked role in World War II.
I think it was a very significant parade to remind not just the Western world, but the [whole] world that there was a complete local coalition that defeated the fascists in the second World War or the World Anti-Fascist War, Raugh said during the session.
China played a significant role in that victory that has frequently been overlooked in the history books today, at least from the Western perspective, because Western allies and the political environment that resulted from World War II gave dominance to the Western world, he added.
Raugh stressed that the massive parade conducted by the People's Liberation Army two weeks ago was a very important reminder of that significant role of China as a victorious ally in the World Anti-Fascist War.
According to Stefanovich, the World Anti-Fascist War is the ultimate military conflict that led to enormous casualties and shaped the modern world. He said that some countries are trying to rewrite the history of the war, serving for their own political goals, which is something should be addressed.
The 80th anniversary is a great event to remind everyone about the harsh realities faced currently, but also the enormous achievements that happened 80 years ago, Stefanovich added.
"We were victims of fascism in the 1940s… China's big celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Anti-Fascism War… This is like China voicing our interests, our voices, our concerns," Rusdi told the Global Times.
"So thanks to China, because without it, I think the anti-fascism war and our suffering are easily forgotten by people," he added.
Jin Canrong, a professor at the school of international studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that in September, China demonstrated its role as a responsible major country committed to maintaining peace through both the military parade and the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
The security situation in the Asia-Pacific region is complex, but China is always the stabilizing anchor of the region and one of the few major countries that focuses on common development, the expert said.
