Wars in Ukraine and Gaza | China calls for ‘negotiations’

(Beijing) Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun told a gathering of world military officials in Beijing on Friday that “negotiations” are the only solution to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

“To resolve sensitive issues such as the Ukraine crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, promoting peace and negotiations is the only solution,” Dong said at the opening ceremony of the Xiangshan Security Forum.

“There are never winners in wars and conflicts, confrontation leads nowhere,” he continued. “The more serious the conflict, the more important it is not to abandon dialogue and consultations. Only reconciliation can end a conflict.”

Mr. Dong called on all countries in the world to promote “peaceful development and inclusive governance.”

He also denounced the “proliferation of national security concepts” and called for “new technologies to better benefit all humanity,” presumably referring to U.S. attempts to block Beijing from accessing cutting-edge technologies.

The Xiangshan forum will host more than 500 representatives from over 90 countries and organizations over three days, according to state media.

The agenda includes China-US relations, security in Europe and Asia, and security challenges in a multipolar world.

Established in 2006, it is considered the Chinese counterpart of the annual Shangri-La conference in Singapore, held in the spring and in which Beijing also participates.

For this 11^e In the edition, senior military officials from Russia, Pakistan, Singapore, Iran and Germany, among others, are expected to take part in round tables.

Points of friction

Also among the distinguished guests is Michael Chase, the US deputy secretary of defense, just days after talks between top brass from Washington and Beijing.

The two major powers are still at odds, particularly over the status of the island of Taiwan and Beijing’s increasingly aggressive approach in the South China Sea.

China and the United States, however, are seeking to re-establish regular discussions between the two militaries to prevent differences from escalating into uncontrollable conflict.

In the South China Sea, Chinese ships have engaged in a series of high-profile confrontations with Philippine vessels in recent months, while U.S. naval forces have conducted maneuvers alongside those of Manila.

China claims much of the South China Sea waters, despite claims by other countries in the region and an international court’s interpretation that there is no legal basis for the claim.

On the sidelines of the forum on Thursday, a senior Chinese military official, He Lei, insisted that China will “crush” any intrusion into its territory, including the South China Sea.