China’s Dong Jun warns against militarism as Japan-Taiwan tensions sharpen

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun has called on countries to avoid provocative actions and resist what he described as the resurgence of militarism, hegemony and historical revisionism, opening the Beijing Xiangshan Forum with a message widely likely to be interpreted in the context of China’s worsening relations with Japan. Dong did not name Japan, the United States or another rival directly and framed his speech as an appeal for broader, more inclusive approaches to international security. Reuters nevertheless noted that the historical language is likely to be seen as a veiled criticism of Tokyo after months of increasingly sharp Chinese warnings about Japanese security policy.

The three-day forum is taking place amid tension over Taiwan, territorial disputes in the South China Sea and questions about the future shape of US security commitments in Asia. China’s Defence Ministry says nearly 100 countries, regions and international organisations sent official delegations, including more than 60 representatives at ministerial or military-chief level. The event runs from September 15 through September 17 at the Beijing International Convention Center.

What did Dong Jun actually say at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum?

Dong urged governments to learn from history and remain alert to the revival of militarism and historical revisionism, while calling for restraint against provocative behaviour and a more cooperative approach to solving security disputes. His address remained broad and avoided directly identifying governments he believed were responsible for those risks.

That restraint differentiates the speech from some recent Chinese statements explicitly criticising Japan. It also gives Beijing space to present the Xiangshan Forum as a platform for inclusive security dialogue rather than simply an arena for attacking rivals. The historical references nevertheless carry unmistakable regional significance because memories of Imperial Japan and the Second World War remain deeply embedded in Chinese foreign-policy rhetoric.

Why are Dong Jun’s historical warnings being associated with Japan?

China-Japan relations deteriorated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last year that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could create circumstances requiring a Japanese military response. Beijing interpreted those remarks as evidence that Japan was becoming more willing to intervene militarily in a conflict China regards as an internal sovereignty issue. Chinese officials have since repeatedly linked Japanese defence expansion with historical warnings about the country’s wartime past.

Japan presents its current military strengthening differently, describing expanded defence spending and capabilities as responses to security threats from China, North Korea and Russia. Tokyo remains constitutionally constrained compared with pre-1945 Japan and operates within an alliance with the United States. The argument is therefore not over whether Japan is literally recreating its former imperial military system, but over how contemporary Japanese defence expansion should be interpreted in a rapidly changing regional balance.

How does Taiwan fit into the worsening China-Japan security relationship?

Beijing considers democratically governed Taiwan part of Chinese territory and has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim, while China has increased military pressure around the island through exercises, aircraft activity and naval deployments.

Japan has a direct geographic interest because several of its southwestern islands lie close to Taiwan, while nearby shipping routes are critical to Japanese energy and trade. A major Taiwan conflict could therefore affect Japanese territory, US bases in Japan and maritime routes even if Tokyo initially sought to remain outside the fighting. That geography explains why Japanese leaders increasingly discuss Taiwan security despite Beijing’s insistence that foreign governments stay out of the issue.

What is the Beijing Xiangshan Forum and why does China place so much importance on it?

The Xiangshan Forum has developed from a relatively small defence think-tank gathering launched in 2006 into one of China’s principal international defence-diplomacy events. China’s Defence Ministry describes the forum as a high-level Track 1.5 platform bringing together government, military and academic participants for discussion of international security. This year marks its twentieth anniversary.

The 2026 programme includes four plenary sessions covering strategic stability, regional conflict, Asia-Pacific security and the role of developing countries, alongside eight specialised sessions involving issues such as sea-lane security, military applications of emerging technologies and outer-space governance. Beijing uses the gathering partly to present its own security concepts to foreign delegations while demonstrating that China can convene military officials from a wide range of countries.

Is China using the Xiangshan Forum as an alternative to the Shangri-La Dialogue?

Reuters describes Xiangshan as a more tightly scripted rival to Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue, which has traditionally provided a prominent platform for US and allied defence officials as well as more confrontational public exchanges. Beijing’s forum offers China greater control over themes and presentation while attracting many of the same governments interested in Asia-Pacific security.

The two events consequently reflect different approaches to defence diplomacy rather than mutually exclusive blocs. Countries can participate in both while maintaining independent relationships with Washington and Beijing. For China, however, increasing attendance at Xiangshan supports its argument that Asian and developing-country security discussions need not be organised primarily through Western-led institutions.

What are the key takeaways from Dong Jun’s opening Xiangshan Forum speech?

Dong’s remarks should not be reported as an explicit new threat against Japan because he did not name Tokyo or announce a new military policy. The significance comes from the historical language, its timing and the broader deterioration in relations over Taiwan and Japanese defence expansion. Reuters assessed that the comments were likely to be read as veiled criticism of Japan, which is more precise than stating categorically that every reference was directed at Tokyo.

The forum also precedes an expected meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, giving Beijing an opportunity to frame its preferred regional-security narrative before higher-level diplomacy. Whether subsequent speeches provide greater detail on Taiwan, Japan or the South China Sea will determine whether Dong’s opening message was primarily symbolic or the beginning of a sharper security-policy signal.