Xiangshan Forum bridges global security divides

Editor's note: Xing Yajie, a special commentator for CGTN, is a lecturer at the School of International Relations, University of International Business and Economics in China. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is being held from September 15-17. Since its establishment in 2006, the Forum has steadily expanded its participation and elevated the level of dialogue, developing into a high-level security and defense forum with global influence. It has provided an important public good for international security by offering countries a platform for dialogue on an equal footing and for jointly advancing peace. Over the past two decades, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum has developed a distinctive approach to security dialogue.

First, it has adapted flexibly to changing circumstances, with its function of policy communication among different countries steadily strengthened. The Beijing Xiangshan Forum has adjusted its positioning in response to changes in the international security environment and evolving demands for dialogue. When it was established in 2006, the Forum primarily brought together Chinese and foreign think-tank scholars specializing in defense and security, serving as a non-governmental exchange platform. Beginning with the fifth edition in 2014, official foreign delegations were invited to participate, marking its formal transformation into a "Track-1.5" platform – a hybrid model situated between the official "Track 1" and the non-governmental "Track 2." This evolution has progressively bridged academic exchange and policy communications, enabling defense and military leaders from different countries, heads of international organizations, former senior officials, and prominent scholars to engage directly on the same platform and articulate their respective policy positions.

This year's Forum continues to leverage the strengths of the "Track 1.5" format. At a time of deepening international security divisions and relatively constrained formal channels of communication, such a flexible dialogue mechanism helps sustain contact and deepen mutual understanding, while providing an important supplementary channel for reducing misperceptions and managing differences.

Second, the Forum has upheld equality and openness, fostering a non-exclusive mechanism for participation. It does not draw lines on the basis of bloc affiliation, nor does it impose political alignment as a condition for participation. Countries, regardless of their size or relative power, are able to articulate their security concerns at the same platform, while developing countries and smaller states are given broader opportunities to make their voices heard.

At this year's Forum, a plenary session entitled "The Role and Vision of Developing Countries" is being specifically devoted to developing-country perspectives, while a parallel session is focusing on "the Asian way to address security challenges." These arrangements enable countries of the Global South to participate directly in discussions on frontier governance issues, such as the military application of emerging technologies and space security, articulate their own concerns, and contribute to the shaping of relevant rules, rather than merely accepting rules already formulated by others. At a time of intensifying geopolitical competition and growing bloc formation in international security mechanisms, such openness helps preserve channels of direct communication among parties with divergent, and even conflicting, positions.

Third, the Forum has upheld dialogue and communication, with its agenda increasingly focused on strengthening coordination and cooperation. In its early years, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum focused primarily on security issues in the Asia-Pacific. Its agenda has since expanded to encompass global security challenges, including strategic stability among major powers, regional conflicts, maritime security, risks arising from the military application of emerging technologies, and space security governance. Under the theme "Build Consensus on Stability, Advance Security Governance Together," this year's Forum is addressing major international security hotspots and key trends in the security and defense domain, covering traditional and non-traditional security, global governance and regional flashpoints, as well as military technology and international law.

It is widely recognized that the closer an issue is tied to concrete national interests, the more difficult it becomes for the parties involved to reach a common position quickly. The Beijing Xiangshan Forum, therefore, places particular emphasis on creating opportunities for direct engagement, enabling participants to clarify their positions, exchange assessments, and identify possible areas of consensus amid differences. In the context of major-power relations and regional conflicts, gaining a clearer understanding of one another's policy boundaries and reducing the risk of strategic miscalculation are themselves important outcomes of security dialogue.

The Beijing Xiangshan Forum's evolution from "Track-2"to "Track-1.5", from theoretical discussion to practical security governance, and from relatively limited participation to a more open international platform also reflects the broader evolution of China's security diplomacy over the past two decades. As China has become more deeply engaged in global security affairs, the Forum has emerged as an important example of China's provision of public goods for multilateral security dialogue.

At present, regional conflicts remain protracted. Under such circumstances, there is an even greater need for platforms capable of accommodating divergent positions and sustaining communication. The development of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum demonstrates that the value of security dialogue lies not only in the number of joint documents produced, but also in whether parties with differing views are able to engage in substantive and sustained communication. In this sense, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum offers a non-exclusive model of multilateral security dialogue in an era of turbulence and has made a sustained contribution to deepening exchanges and cooperation in the security domain.

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