13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum to be held in mid September

The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will be held from Sept 15 to 17 at the Beijing International Convention Center, a Chinese defense ministry spokesman announced on Thursday.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, stated at a regular news conference that the forum will be held under the theme "build consensus on stability, advance security governance together". The 4th China-Africa Peace and Security Forum will also be held in conjunction with the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.

Marking its 20th anniversary, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum has evolved from a Track 2 exchange among defense think tanks into a major Track 1.5 platform for international security and defense dialogue, Zhang said.

This year's forum will feature four plenary sessions focusing on international order and strategic stability, localized conflicts: their predicaments and pathways to resolution, risks and challenges to security and stability in the Asia-Pacific, and the role and vision of developing countries. Eight parallel sessions will also be held.

"We invite defense and military leaders, representatives of international organizations, and renowned scholars to join the forum as we mark its 20th anniversary and explore solutions to global security governance together," Zhang said.