BEIJING, SEPT 18 (AFP/APP/DNA):Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun denounced “hegemonic logic and acts of bullying” during remarks Thursday at a Beijing forum that were full of thinly veiled references to the United States.
Organisers say about 1,800 representatives from 100 countries, including political, military and academic leaders, are gathering in Beijing for the Xiangshan Forum, considered China’s answer to the annual Shangri-La meeting in Singapore.
The three-day event comes as China presents itself as a mediator of fraught global issues including ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Addressing attendees at the opening ceremony on Thursday, Dong warned of “new threats and challenges” now facing world peace.
“While the themes of the times — peace and development — remain unchanged, the clouds of a Cold War mentality, hegemonism and protectionism have not lifted,” he said.
“Historical memory must serve as a constant warning to recognise and oppose hegemonic logic and acts of bullying that are disguised in a new form.”
The comments were a subtle reference to the United States, China’s primary competitor in recent years across a wide range of economic and geopolitical arenas.
Dong’s remarks come two weeks after a grand military parade in Tiananmen Square to commemorate China’s 1945 victory over a Japanese invasion, which left millions dead.
The parade saw China unveil a host of new weapons, including advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles, drones and laser technology.
In attendance were several leaders that have long been at odds with Western governments, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
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