China and Russia held a military forum in Beijing where officials criticized the United States and called Washington an "agent of global instability."
The remarks by Chinese and Russian military chiefs came despite Beijing's second most senior military commander committing to bolstering defense ties with Washington. The lack of regular communication between the U.S. and China's militaries has been a cause for concern for Washington.
Beijing Military Forum
This is particularly true because of rising tensions over various issues and given the risks of an accidental clash in the South China Sea or near Taiwan. China's biggest annual show of military diplomacy, the Xiangshan Forum, started on Sunday without a Chinese defense minister. He typically hosts the event.
In a statement, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned the West that its involvement in the Ukraine war has created grave danger. He allegedly said that the Western line of steady escalation of the conflict with Russia carries the threat of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, as per Yahoo News.
Shoigu added that the West intended to inflict "strategic defeat" on Russia in what he called a "hybrid war," while also praising Russia-China relations as "exemplary." the vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, delivered veiled criticism of the U.S. and its allies. He claimed that some countries were making efforts in an attempt to undermine China's government.
However, Zhang also noted the importance of the need to improve military ties with the United States. He said that they will work on deepening strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia. He added that they are willing to develop military ties with the U.S. on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.
The Chinese official also held talks with Shoigu on the sidelines of the forum, the details of which were not immediately revealed. In previous years, China's defense minister delivered the forum's keynote speech. However, Li Shangfu was removed from the position last without explanation and a replacement has not yet been named.
Rising China-U.S. Tensions
Zhang accused some countries of deliberately creating turbulence and trying to interfere in other nations' internal affairs. The Beijing forum provided a venue for "a second battlefield for Russia and the United States, according to the Washington Post.
An associate professor at the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, Wan Qingsong, added that the purpose of the forum was to use it to win over public opinion in countries in the Global South. He noted that the platform was also used to prevent changes that are particularly detrimental to Russia.
Beijing has been trying to project itself as a potential peacemaker in both the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war. The efforts seek to cast the Asian nation as a player in global security amid heightened tensions with Washington.
However, that bid has received skepticism from governments in its own region as well as the West due to its aggression in the South China Sea and its intimidation of Taiwan. China is also under pressure over its backing of Russia in the latter's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, said CNN.
