Beijing Xiangshan Forum Convenes with Focus on Security Governance

The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum opens at the Beijing International Convention Center under the theme "Building Consensus for Stability, Promoting Security Governance Together." Organizers and Chinese military media highlighted the track-1.5 forum's two-decade evolution from a regional defense exchange into a broader platform spanning traditional and non-traditional security topics. With participation from defense officials, former dignitaries, and think tank scholars—including representatives from developing nations and parties involved in regional disputes—the forum reflects Beijing’s ongoing push to promote its Global Security Initiative and position itself as an accessible venue for international security dialogue.

As China’s primary multilateral security and defense forum, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum serves as a key barometer for Chinese defense diplomacy. Amid protracted regional conflicts and strained major-power relations, the platform provides an institutional setting for exchanges among competing geopolitical stakeholders, including developing nations and Western observers.

The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum opened on September 15 at the Beijing International Convention Center, convening defense leaders, military commanders, international organization representatives, and security scholars around the theme "Building Consensus for Stability, Promoting Security Governance Together," according to state-run military media. First organized two decades ago, the forum has evolved into China’s most prominent platform for high-level security and defense diplomacy. According to reports published by the PLA Daily and the Ministry of National Defense, this year's agenda comprises four plenary sessions and eight parallel panel discussions, alongside dedicated closed-door sessions and high-level interviews. The forum's discussions span both traditional and non-traditional security issues. Agenda topics cited by Chinese state media include strategic stability, regional flashpoints, emerging military technologies, counter-terrorism operations, and the international legal framework governing armed conflict. Organizers stressed a track-1.5 approach that combines the formal weight of governmental defense delegations with the flexibility of academic analysis. Chinese military commentaries framed the event as an embodiment of the principles underlying Beijing's Global Security Initiative (GSI), specifically the proposition that interstate disputes should be resolved through negotiated, peaceful settlements. Media reports underscored efforts to ensure balanced representation across developed countries, emerging economies, and smaller nations, explicitly noting the attendance of delegates from the Global South as well as parties directly involved in active regional disputes. According to the PLA Daily, the theme's emphasis on "stability" highlights the preservation of basic international order during a period of geopolitical volatility, while the focus on "governance" targets collaborative mechanisms to resolve structural security deficits. As geopolitical fragmentation strains established multilateral frameworks, the forum offers an institutional window into how China intends to articulate its alternative vision for regional and global security architecture.