China’s Defence Minister, Dong Jun, has urged nations to avoid provocative acts and curb the resurgence of regressive historical trends
He disclosed this while speaking at the opening of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, China.
“We must bear in mind the lessons of history and remain highly vigilant against all latent manifestations of hegemony, militarism and historical revisionism,” Dong stated.
He warned against turning a blind eye to such behaviour, saying broad-based forces of justice must be rallied to suppress “historical dregs” and stop them exploiting the situation.
Dong also called for a more equal approach to resolving international tensions, cautioning against provocative actions that place individual or group interests above those of countries in the region.
“We must show no leniency towards provocative acts that seek to hijack the overall interests of countries in the region for the sake of personal gain or the interests of particular cliques, and we must work together to rein them in,” he added.
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Reports said Dong did not directly criticise the United States or its regional allies including Japan which describes his remarks as a reiteration of long-standing Chinese positions.
They come ahead of an expected summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.
China and Japan relations deteriorated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response, prompting Beijing to accuse Tokyo of seeking a return to its aggressive past.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has increased military pressure around the island, Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
However, about 2,000 military officers, diplomats and academics from dozens of countries are attending the Xiangshan Forum, a more tightly structured counterpart to Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue.
Reuters
