Military Diplomacy

Ministry of National Defense: We Look Forward to Gathering Again in Beijing with Representatives from All Countries When the Xiangshan Hillsides Are Covered in Autumn Red Leaves

国防部：期待在香山红叶满山之际与各国代表再次相聚北京

PLA Daily (解放军报) 18 May 2026

Summary

At a May 18 MND press briefing, spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Bin confirmed that the preparatory meeting for the 2026 Beijing Xiangshan Forum ran May 7–9 in Beijing, drawing 121 defense officials, officers, and scholars from 43 countries and international organizations under the theme 'Global Security Governance: Challenges and the Way Forward.' The readout frames the forum as a multilateral alternative to what it calls 'zero-sum games' and 'unilateral hegemony,' and explicitly credits China's four global initiatives—Global Development, Security, Civilization, and AI Governance—as remedies for the 'deficit in security governance.' This is standard pre-forum diplomatic messaging; its value is as a record of how the MND is positioning Xiangshan's 20th anniversary edition as a platform for building a non-Western security narrative ahead of the autumn plenary.

Translation

On the afternoon of May 18, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, released information on recent military-related issues.

Reporter: The preparatory meeting for the 2026 Beijing Xiangshan Forum recently concluded successfully. Please provide further details on the situation.

Jiang Bin: From May 7 to 9, the preparatory meeting for the 2026 Beijing Xiangshan Forum was successfully held in Beijing. The meeting was held under the theme "Global Security Governance: Challenges and the Way Forward," and was attended by 121 defense officials, senior military officers, and expert scholars from 43 countries and international organizations.

The agenda of this preparatory meeting was precisely anchored to the critical pain points and real-world challenges of current global security governance, providing the international community with a dialogue platform for stepping outside zero-sum games and rejecting the logic of confrontation. Representatives from all parties engaged in equal exchanges and spirited discussions. There was broad opposition to unilateral hegemony and the law of the jungle; all sides upheld the central role of the United Nations, advocated managing risks and preventing crises through cooperation, and held that China's four major global initiatives provide constructive thinking and practical pathways for remedying the deficit in security governance, resolving international security problems, and deepening the foundations of security and development.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Over the past 20 years, the Forum has consistently upheld the principles of equality, openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning—respecting every voice that upholds justice, cherishing every effort to bridge differences, and welcoming every proposal for cooperation and mutual benefit. We look forward to gathering again in Beijing with representatives from all countries when the Xiangshan hillsides are covered in red leaves this autumn—using dialogue to build mutual trust and consensus, and using cooperation to resolve contradictions and conflicts—and to contributing wisdom and strength toward jointly meeting global security challenges and building a world of lasting peace and universal security.

Original Chinese

5月18日下午，国防部新闻发言人蒋斌大校就近期涉军问题发布消息。记者：近日，2026年北京香山论坛先导会圆满结束。请进一步介绍有关情况。蒋斌：5月7日至9日，2026年北京香山论坛先导会在京成功举办。本次会议以“全球安全治理：挑战与出路”为主题，来自43个国家及国际组织的121位防务官员、高级军官和专家学者出席。本次先导会议题设置精准锚定当前全球安全治理的关键痛点与现实挑战，为国际社会提供了一个跳出零和博弈、摒弃对抗逻辑的对话平台。各方代表平等交流、热烈讨论，普遍反对单边霸权、丛林法则，坚持维护联合国核心地位，倡导通过合作管控风险、预防危机，认为中方提出的四大全球倡议为弥补安全治理赤字、破解国际安全难题、厚植安全发展根基提供了建设性思路和务实途径。今年是北京香山论坛创立20周年。20年来，论坛始终秉持平等、开放、包容、互鉴理念，尊重每一种维护正义的声音，珍视每一份弥合分歧的努力，欢迎每一个合作共赢的建议。我们期待在今年香山红叶满山之际与各国代表再次相聚北京，以对话凝聚互信共识，以合作化解矛盾冲突，为共同应对全球安全挑战，共建持久和平、普遍安全的世界贡献智慧和力量。