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- Chinese defense minister calls for 鈥榬obust actions to jointly safeguard the environment for peaceful development鈥�
- Dong Jun warns 鈥榟egemonic, domineering and bullying acts鈥� have been severely undermining the global order
QINGDAO, China: China hosted defense ministers from Iran and Russia for a meeting in its eastern seaside city of Qingdao on Thursday against the backdrop of war in the Middle East and a summit of NATO countries in Europe that agreed to boost military spending.
Beijing has long sought to present the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs and has pushed to strengthen collaboration between its member countries in politics, security, trade and science.
The Qingdao meeting of the organization鈥檚 top defense officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds after 12 days of fighting between the arch-foes.
It is also being held the day after a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders in The Hague, where members agreed to ramp up their defense spending to satisfy US President Donald Trump.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun framed Thursday鈥檚 meeting of officials in Qingdao, home to a major Chinese naval base, as a counterweight to a world in 鈥渃haos and instability.鈥�
鈥淎s momentous changes of the century accelerate, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,鈥� Dong said as he welcomed defense chiefs from Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus and elsewhere on Wednesday, according to state news agency Xinhua.
鈥淗egemonic, domineering and bullying acts severely undermine the international order,鈥� he warned.
He urged his counterparts to 鈥渢ake more robust actions to jointly safeguard the environment for peaceful development.鈥�
India鈥檚 Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, also in attendance in Qingdao, said SCO members should 鈥渃ollectively aspire to fulfil the aspirations and expectations of our people as well as tackle today鈥檚 challenges.鈥�
鈥淭he world we live in is undergoing a drastic transformation. Globalization, which once brought us closer together, has been losing momentum,鈥� he said in comments posted by his office on X.
And meeting Dong on the sidelines of the summit, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov hailed ties between the two countries as being 鈥渁t an unprecedentedly high level.鈥�
鈥淔riendly relations between our countries maintain upward dynamics of development in all directions,鈥� he said.
China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia鈥檚 war with Ukraine, although Western governments say its close ties have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support.