High-ranking Chinese military official criticizes nations responsible for instigating unrest
Zhang Youxia, who holds the top position in China's Central Military Commission, delivered these comments at the Xiangshan Forum, a gathering of military and diplomatic representatives that serves as Beijing's counterpart to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
According to a report from Agence France Press, among the attendees was Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who spoke at the conference following Zhang's opening remarks.
China is hosting this forum without a current defense minister, as Minister Li Shangfu was unexpectedly dismissed last week without a stated reason. Although Zhang did not explicitly mention the nations responsible for "creating turmoil" in his speech, China has consistently criticized the United States for its stances on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"As we look across the world today, hotspot issues are arising one after another. The pain of war, chaos and turmoil, and loss of life are constantly playing out," Zhang said.
While Zhang refrained from specifying the countries responsible for "instigating unrest" in his opening speech, Beijing has consistently voiced strong criticism of the United States regarding its positions on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"However, some countries, for fear that the world may stabilize, deliberately create turmoil, interfere in regional issues, interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and instigate color revolutions.”
He also explained that in pursuit of their self-serving agendas, they scatter obstacles at every turn. They fabricate numerous geopolitical disputes, all the while advocating impartiality but secretly leaning toward one party, thus complicating and rendering regional circumstances unmanageable.”
