The Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's flagship global multilateral security conference, kicked off on the 15th for a three-day run. Perhaps reflecting the upcoming bilateral summit scheduled for the 24th, the U.S. upgraded the rank of its delegation compared to last year. In contrast, Japanese government officials were reportedly not invited. South Korea is understood to have sent a delegation led by the vice president of Korea National Defense University.

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The venue of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which opened on the 15th for a three-day run. / The Beijing News

According to Chinese media reports including The Beijing News on the 15th, the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum opened for a three-day run at the Beijing International Convention Center under the theme "Promoting Security Governance by Building Consensus on Stability." Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the opening ceremony on the morning of the 16th.

This year's forum drew official delegations and domestic and international experts from roughly 100 countries, regions, and international organizations. Among the attendees, ministerial-level officials and chiefs of defense or higher are estimated at around 60. Notably, the U.S. sent a delegation led by Cynthia Carras, principal director for China at the Department of Defense, marking a significant upgrade from last year when the defense attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing attended.

In contrast, Japanese government officials were reportedly not invited to this year's forum amid persistent friction with Beijing following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on November 6 last year hinting at intervention in the event of a Taiwan emergency. Instead, private figures including former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama are attending. Hatoyama, who served as prime minister for about a year starting in 2009, previously attended the 80th-anniversary commemoration of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression held in Beijing in September last year.

Artificial intelligence and emerging military technologies are also featured as key agenda items at this year's forum. According to the schedule released by the Xiangshan Forum Secretariat, the military application of AI and emerging technologies has been given noticeably greater weight, slated as topics for discussions, panel sessions, and seminars across at least three separate sessions.

In addition, plenary sessions will address international order and strategic stability, pathways to resolving regional disputes, and security risks in the Asia-Pacific, alongside breakout sessions focusing on major power relations, maritime security, the military application of emerging technologies, and space security.

The Beijing Xiangshan Forum is widely recognized as a multilateral security dialogue platform operated by China to expand its influence over regional security affairs in the Asia-Pacific. It is viewed as Beijing's counterpart to the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore, firmly underscoring China's global footprint.

                                                                                                          Hong Soon-do