On September 18th, the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum officially opened. Representatives from more than 100 countries and international organizations gathered together. The scene was grand and the atmosphere was dignified. This is not only a grand meeting of international security dialogue, but also a concentrated release of strategic signals.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun showed two red lines and three bottom lines, directly hitting the most sensitive nerves of the international community. On the other hand, the US representative also rarely "let go", changing his previous tough stance and releasing a signal of seeking coexistence with China. What deep-seated information has been revealed behind this "sudden change in attitude between China and the United States"? The United States suddenly bowed its head, did it recognize the reality, or did it have other plans?
In the past few years, China-U.S. relations have fallen and collided, especially on topics such as the Taiwan Sea and the South China Sea, but just before the opening of the Shanghai Forum, on September 9, China-U.S. defense ministers suddenly made a video call. The U.S. side rarely made statements of "no intention of conflict with China" which sparked a major upheaval.
U.S. Defense Secretary Hughes said in a call that the U.S. is not seeking to overthrow the Chinese regime and does not want to start a war with China. This statement came out and immediately sparked the fierce controversy of global observers.
Shi Chande, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense of the United States, also pointed out at the Xiangshan Forum that this statement is extremely rare in the mouth of American officials, indicating that the U.S. policy toward China may be undergoing a "substantial change."
On the opening day of the Shandong Forum, the defense minister’s speech was unambiguous. He stressed that the world was overshadowed by the darkness of Cold War thought and hegemony. If any country insists on seeking military superiority, it will only lead the world to division and chaos in the end.
Immediately afterwards, Dong Jun changed the subject, Directly illuminating the Taiwan issue, he said that the historical and legal facts that Taiwan belongs to China are undeniable, and that any attempt to "Taiwan independence" will end in failure.Watched by representatives from more than 100 countries under Taiwan, this is like a heavy hammer landing.It is not only a reaffirmation of China's position, but also a global "strong debut".
There was full preparation and pattern behind this speech. Earlier on September 3, China held a massive 93th parade in Beijing. The launch of cutting-edge weapons such as East Wind missiles and hidden drones has demonstrated China’s military strength to the world.
U.S. media said the parade triggered the Pentagon’s “pizza index” boom, meaning a large number of U.S. military analysts worked overtime studying Chinese new equipment, leading to a surge in outsourcing orders. This detail shows that the U.S. attention to Chinese military power has reached unprecedented heights.
In addition to military display, China has repeatedly demonstrated its actual control on the South China Sea issue. The Philippines tried to replenish the "beach boat" to Renai Reef, but it was intercepted by China many times in a row. It is that the Philippine soldiers have broken food for many days, supply successively failed, the scene is comparable to "hunger games".
This shows that in the South China Sea issue, China not only dares to speak, but can do more, and the actual control has long been less than in the past. And the U.S. wants to use small countries to challenge the plot, and it has become more and more difficult. Looking back to the Chinese-U.S. economic and trade sphere, the U.S. "downway" has not worked. Before the fourth round of China-U.S. trade negotiations, the U.S. put 23 Chinese entities on the blacklist, trying to suppress Chinese companies.
After the end of the negotiations, U.S. Finance Minister Bessent returned empty-handed, with no results brought back.Immediately after, Trump posted a message of up to 3,000 words on social media, acknowledging that U.S. manufacturing “has degraded to a point of shame” and mourning that “building a destroyer is a complete piece of pieces.”
The data is a loud slap in the face of the United States. Among the global new ship orders in 2024, China has won 1,700 ships, while the United States has only 5 ships. China’s market share is up to 50 percent and the US only 0.13 percent.
In terms of manufacturing, the proportion of the United States in GDP has dropped from 28% in 1965 to 8.4% now. The construction of the aircraft carrier was delayed several times.This reality has forced the U.S. to re-evaluate its relationship with China. Because once a conflict breaks out, the U.S. industrial base simply cannot support long-term confrontation.
In terms of technical sanctions, China has also revealed the "rare earth mark". export controls for medium-sized rare earth objects such as uranium, uranium and other, using the "conditionally open" approval model, Firmly grasp the initiative of strategic resources.At the same time, companies such as Huawei and Chip International have continuously made breakthroughs in key areas such as chips and communications. The "House Wall" strategy that was once implemented in the United States fell into passivity.
On the legal battlefield, the United States also suffered a defeat. The federal appeals court ruled that the president has no right to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Once the Supreme Court upholds the original judgment, the U.S. Treasury Department may have to refund taxes of up to $750 billion to $1 trillion.
This is not only a legal restriction, but also a direct counterattack to the U.S. abuse of economic sanctions.In the Taiwan Sea issue, the U.S. double-target behavior is also becoming increasingly evident.On the other hand, it reaffirms the one-China policy and opposes "Taiwan independence"; On the other hand, it continues to sell weapons to Taiwan and supports US ships sailing across the Taiwan Strait to provoke China's bottom line.
What's even more outrageous is that the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) actually claimed that China misinterpreted the international documents after World War II and denied that Taiwan Province's political status had been determined. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian angrily denounced this statement, pointing out that the United States, as a signatory of the Cairo Declaration, knew that Taiwan Province belonged to China, but deliberately confused the audience and nakedly provoked China's sovereignty.
During the Shandong Forum, the Chinese Defense Minister once again stated: No attempt to "Taiwan independence" will be allowed to succeedThis phrase not only tells the world to listen, but also directly warns the United States. During the forum, the Chinese-American Defense Minister spoke twice in a short time, and the Foreign Minister also synchronized communication, China has clearly drawn three bottom lines: military exchanges must be equal and respectful, without conflict or confrontation; The Taiwan issue cannot be challenged; The situation in the South China Sea cannot be disrupted.
This series of actions shows that China is ready and any provocation will pay a price.At the forum, Schound once again stressed that “coexistence” is not “friendly”.The United States merely realizes the need to establish mechanisms with China to avoid the outbreak of military conflict. In other words, being pushed down by reality.
He also said that the US-China relationship has entered a new phase of "struggle on the sides, dialogue on the sides". It is no longer a unilateral pressure, but the two sides are looking for a space for compromise in the game. Wu Ziba, dean of the Institute for International Studies at the University of Phuket, also noted that the Trump administration is shifting from the "repressive phase" to the "compromise phase". Gotta change tactics.
This is also the core signal released by Xiangshan Forum: Sino-US relations are being redefined, and the international pattern is moving towards multipolarization.The scale of this forum has reached a record high and participation at the highest level of the country has been unprecedented.This is not only a successful demonstration of China's public diplomacy, but also the result of the international community's "vote with the feet".
More and more countries are willing to listen to China's voice and participate in China's chaired dialogue, which is itself a recognition of China's international status.
America's "confession" does not really mean giving up provocation, and China's hardness is not a false voice. In the future of the game, who has more strategic determination, who can master the real initiative.
Source of information:
[1] The 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum opens CCTV News
[2] Speaking of the Taiwan issue, the Chinese Minister of Defense spoke!