ISTANBUL / ISLAMABAD

A defense dialogue forum kicked off on Wednesday in Beijing with a call for dialogue and cooperation, with Chinese defense officials emphasizing that "handshakes between service members contribute more to peace than the exchange of firing."

The 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum began at the Beijing International Convention Center with the theme "Upholding International Order and Promoting Peaceful Development."

Over 1,800 delegates from more than 100 countries and regions are attending the event, including 40 defense ministers and military chiefs, as well as senior representatives from the United Nations, ASEAN, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Earlier on Tuesday, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, declared that the dialogue will serve as a forum for exploring conflict resolution, strengthening cooperation, and advancing initiatives such as China's Global Security Initiative and Global Governance Initiative.

The forum opens just two weeks after China held a massive military parade on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II, referred to by China as the World Anti-Fascist War.

The Xiangshan Forum, which was established in 2006 and upgraded to a Track 1.5 dialogue in 2014, has evolved into a prominent international platform for defense and security.

On Tuesday, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met with Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera, who is in China for the forum, to discuss bilateral defense cooperation.

Dong said Beijing is willing to work with Cuba to deepen practical cooperation and take military relations to a new level.

One of the attendees, Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin, is scheduled to meet separately with Dong and Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha.

The forum is scheduled to last until Friday and will include four plenary sessions and eight parallel panel discussions.