ISTANBUL

China on Wednesday hosted the Defense Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in the eastern city of Qingdao amid conflicts in the Middle East.

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun chaired the meeting and gave a speech, according to state media the Global Times, citing the Defense Ministry.

Dong said significant changes unseen in a century are rapidly occurring and noted that unilateralism and protectionism are rising while “acts of hegemony, overbearing and bullying are severely undermining international order, becoming the primary source of instability and chaos,” the report said, as the summit comes on the heels of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel that was announced by US President Donald Trump on Monday after American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as well as the genocide Israel is committing in Gaza.

Israel and Iran launched airstrikes on each other after the Israeli military attacked several sites across Iran on June 13, including military and nuclear facilities.

Dong urged all parties to enhance coordination and cooperation under frameworks like the UN and the SCO, uphold international fairness and justice and protect global strategic stability, as well as calling on SCO defense ministers to "remain true to the organization's founding purpose, promote the 'Shanghai Spirit,' consolidate the strength of the SCO, continuously deepen practical cooperation and take more robust actions to jointly preserve the environment for peaceful development."

He also held individual meetings in Qingdao with his counterparts from Belarus, Iran, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

The summit marks the first time an Indian defense minister is visiting China in the last five years.

The SCO, established in 2001, is an inter-governmental organization comprising 10 member states -- China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. All 10 member states’ defense ministers are in Qingdao for the summit.