China's defence minister criticises regional groupings as 'small circles for hegemony'

Beijing, Sep 18 (PTI) China's Defence Minister Dong Jun on Thursday described the formation of regional alliances as “small circles for hegemony” as he vowed that the Chinese military will not tolerate any foreign interference to integrate Taiwan with the mainland.

Speaking at the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, a security dialogue modelled on Singapore's Shangri-La dialogue to discuss global security issues, Dong hit out at the formation of the regional groupings, in a veiled attack on Quad and AUKUS.

China has been consistently attacking Quad, the quadrilateral alliance consisting of the US, India, Japan and Australia, and trilateral AUKUS, comprising Australia, the UK and the US, saying that the groupings were aimed at containing its rise.

The Asia-Pacific regional blocs and military alliances are “small circles for hegemony,” Dong said, projecting China's “non-alignment policy” as a model for inclusive, cooperative security partnerships, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

On Taiwan, which China claims as part of its mainland, Dong said, “Taiwan’s return is an integral part of the postwar order.” The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would “never allow any separatist plot to succeed” or tolerate foreign military interference, he said.

He also criticised the outside powers interfering in the South China Sea dispute in the name of freedom of navigation.

While pledging to accelerate talks on a binding Code of Conduct with ASEAN countries on the South China Sea dispute, he criticised “extra-regional powers” for using “freedom of navigation” to provoke, and said safeguarding China's maritime rights was a defence of the post-war order and international law.

China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

Playing down concerns over Beijing's growing military capabilities, Dong framed China’s military power as a stabilising “ballast” to deter war and support shared development, positioning the PLA as a force for “peace, stability and progress”.

He said the Chinese military is willing to work with all parties to uphold security with concrete actions, enhance military mutual trust, step up multilateral coordination, and promote high-quality and efficient cooperation while improving related mechanisms.

Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Dong emphasised the need to uphold a correct view on World War II, safeguard historical justice, and foster the widest possible consensus.

The Chinese military stands ready to work with all parties to defend sovereign equality, uphold the post-war international order, bolster multilateralism, protect common interests, and jointly advance reforms to improve the global governance system, he said.

Under the theme "Upholding International Order and Promoting Peaceful Development," the forum pools together more than 1,800 official representatives, scholars and observers from over 100 countries, regions and international organisations. It runs from Sept. 17 to 19, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. PTI KJV ZH ZH