«--[· Preface ·]--»
The United States is engaged in a small circle to contain China. Why are its allies rushing to Beijing? What makes the US media think that Trump played the wrong game?
“Security Dialogue across the Camp”
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry officials’ pencil slides rapidly on the notebooks, recording Russian representatives’ remarks on the European security architecture. This scene is taking place simultaneously in the various branches of the forum. This forum has specifically set up a discussion on “World Victory in the Anti-Fascist War and the International Order”, inviting scholars from China, Russia, Britain and the United States to participate in the discussion.
The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General was standing on the plenary table, with a real-time display of the number of participating countries, a number that continues to swell with the delayed delegation joining.
Unlike some military group meetings, there is no pre-set position camp, Iranian representatives can fully express their views on the regional nuclear issue, Israeli officials can respond to questions on the spot, and Latin American countries’ arms control initiatives also have equal opportunities to discuss.
The Vietnamese Navy’s minor will take an active step toward members of the Chinese delegation during the tea break, with the forum logo printed on the coffee cup in front of the two.Their exchanges were not translated, but explored the possibility of joint patrol in the South China Sea through simple English and gestures.
This spontaneous dialogue is visible everywhere during the forum and stems from the forum’s unique “one-and-a-half” mechanism design – both formal consultations with official delegations and flexible communication space for students and former military officials.
The proposal on the South Island Reef issue brought by Philippine military officers was originally regarded by the outside world as the focus of possible controversy, but it was constructively discussed at the parallel group meeting of "Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation". Representatives of many countries jointly proposed to establish a maritime emergency contact hotline. These specific and subtle interactions are weaving a safe communication network covering the whole world.
“The real world of two ways.”
In the conference room of the Pentagon, the map of military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region has been hanging for three years. At the round table of Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, the table signs in front of the representative of the United States were placed side by side with representatives of Cambodia, Kenya and other countries.
This difference in spatial relationship is just a metaphor for the two paths of global security governance today. The U.S.-led NATO's eastward expansion continues to stir up the European geopolitical landscape and directly becomes the fuse of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The military alliances such as "AUKUS" it promotes in the Asia-Pacific not only failed to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but instead added new dimensions to the South China Sea issue. Complex factors.
A study released by the Forum found that 78% of countries participating in the "small circle" military group believe that their security environment has not improved, instead of facing more potential conflict risks.
Experts from the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences introduced practical cases of global security initiatives to foreign representatives in front of the exhibition board. The chart on the exhibition board clearly shows that the incidence of armed conflicts among countries that join the dialogue mechanism is 42% lower than that of countries that rely on military alliances.
This data comparison was confirmed at the forum's defense equipment exhibition. Next to the peacekeeping equipment displayed by China, there are real-life photos of peacekeeping forces of various countries using these equipment together, rather than the performance parameters of a country's latest weapons.
In his speech, ASEAN Secretary-General said that small and medium-sized countries do not need the “New Cold War” type of camp choice, and that when the United States strengthens its military presence in the Asia-Pacific, regional nations need a platform that can speak equally.This appeal has repeatedly appeared at the eight parallel division meetings of the forum, from emerging technology governance to the evolution of war forms, and representatives are more concerned about how to formulate preventive risks through rules rather than rely on military advantage to suppress opponents.
«-[· The profound meaning of a photo ·]-»
Lieutenant General He Lei of the People's Liberation Army took out a hard photo frame from his briefcase and handed it to Shi Cande, head of the American delegation, with both hands. In the photo frame is a group photo of the two last year: in the background is the logo of the 10th Xiangshan Forum, and in the foreground, He Lei and Shi Cande jointly hold the calligraphy banner of "Harmony is precious".
"I specially enlarged and washed it out for you," He Lei's words came clearly through the translation. "Last year's handwriting will fade, but the memory of the conversation should remain." Shi Cande's smile when he took the photo frame was frozen by the reporters present. This photo, like last year's "Harmony is precious" painting and calligraphy, also caused heated discussion in the international media.
This diplomatic moment hides multiple meanings. The photo was taken at a critical juncture after the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. There is no tense negotiating table in the picture, only two soldiers' common tribute to the concept of peace. He Lei chose to present this photo in the special year of "the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War", which cleverly echoed the forum's emphasis on historical experience.
The U.S. media has sharply noticed the symbolic significance of the gift —— unlike some countries used to convey signals with military deterrence, the moment of China’s video-recorded dialogue is just a moderate refutation of “confronting thinking.” Last year, former U.S. representative Callas, who received the book “and for expensive,” said in her memoirs that the gift allowed her to rethink military policy against China, and this year’s photographs were more like a continuation of this “and for expensive” diplomatic narrative.
Three consensuses reached during the forum are being translated into concrete actions: many countries have agreed to share non-traditional security threat information, more than ten countries have signed up to participate in China-led peacekeeping training programs, and ASEAN and China will establish an annual defense consultation mechanism. Behind these achievements is the collective recognition of the concept of "dialogue is better than confrontation" by more than 100 countries.
The Trump administration’s “America’s Priority” policy is facing counterfeiting when U.S. delegates explained its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific forum, and audiences raised questions, while China’s “Global Security Initiative” was widely addressed in panel discussions.
This comparison prompted the U.S. media to send “dangerous signals” ——While the U.S. is addicted to building military alliances, China is reshaping the global security order through platforms such as the Shandong Forum. He said in an interview: “The photos will be out of date, but the consensus will last.”
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In this era of uncertainty, the value of dialogue is going beyond the inertia of confrontation, and China’s platform is exactly the response to the world’s urgent expectations for a new security order.When Trump’s team is still calculating the benefits of military alliances, Beijing’s Shanghai Forum has demonstrated with practical results: building a safe community never requires guns and threats, it only requires the courage to sit at a table.