(NewsInsights.org) – Russia and China chose the annual Xiangshan Forum, held in Beijing on October 30, as a platform to broadcast their viewpoints about US world policies. General Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, warned that the continued American pursuit of “global dominance” risks a direct confrontation between two or more nuclear powers, contributing to global instability.
On stage, Shoigu claimed the US had made a years-long policy of “deliberately” undermining and destroying international strategic and security stability, including “arms control agreements,” according to ABC News. He accused the US and NATO of collaborating to threaten Russia’s internal security by expanding the NATO present to the nation’s east.
The NATO expansion, coupled with crippling economic sanctions and the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, represented a growing threat of a direct conflict between the nuclear powers of the US and Russia, in Shoigu’s opinion. He sees the possibility as “fraught with catastrophic consequences.” Yet, he said Russia remained open to negotiations under the right circumstances.
Typically, China’s top military leader hosts the Xiangshan Forum each year. However, President Xi Jinping removed General Li Shangfu from his post last week after he had been absent from public appearances for more than two months. Chinese officials have not provided an explanation.
Instead, second-in-command General Zhang Youxia opened the forum and offered indirect criticisms of US policies during his remarks. Referring to recent US visits and stances regarding Taiwan, Zhang stated, “Some countries” seemed to deliberately stir up trouble and meddle “in other countries’ internal affairs.”
Zhang noted that Taiwan is a “core interest” of his nation and cautioned others against agitating their neighbors regarding such delicate subjects. He also stated that “China and the Chinese military will never allow” Taiwan to split from the mainland.
Zhang also urged participants in the Israel-Hamas war to seek an “immediate cease-fire.” China has sought to project an image as a global peacemaker, claiming neutrality in the Middle Eastern and Ukrainian conflicts. Yet, in the same speech, Zhang committed to a plan to “deepen strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia.”
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