‘Unprecedented’ foreign participation at Beijing forum

The 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will be held at the Beijing International Convention Center from Wednesday to Friday, and a senior officer of the People’s Liberation Army said on Monday that the scale and level of the foreign delegations are unprecedented.

The China Association for Military Science (CAMS) and China Institute for International Strategic Studies (CIISS) will co-host the forum with the theme, “Building a New Type of Security Partnership of Equality, Mutual Trust and Win-Win Cooperation,” according to the forum’s website. The first forum was held in 2006.

Major General Pi Mingyong, the forum’s secretary-general, told a press conference in Beijing on Monday that “there are more than 500 representatives from 74 countries, and international organizations have already confirmed attendance, including about 50 vice-ministerial and higher-level officials. This shows that the scale and level of the participation of foreign delegations have hit new heights.”

The topics to be discussed include “New ideas for and new approaches to international security governance,” “Terrorism threats and countermeasures,” “Reality and vision of maritime security cooperation,” and “Challenges to and cooperation of UN peacekeeping,” the forum’s website said. The topic “Artificial intelligence and evolution of modern warfare” will also be included.