China hosted a high-level gathering of defence ministers from Iran, Russia, and other nations on Thursday in Qingdao, a coastal city in its east, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and renewed NATO commitments to increased military expenditure.
The meeting brought together military chiefs from member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a 10-nation bloc Beijing has positioned as a strategic alternative to Western alliances.
The organisation aims to deepen cooperation across security, politics, economics, and scientific advancement among its members.
Held at a time when a fragile ceasefire appears to be holding between Israel and Iran following nearly two weeks of hostilities, the summit took place just one day after NATO leaders concluded a meeting in The Hague, where they pledged to raise defence spending, a move aligned with US President Donald Trump’s demands.
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun described the gathering in Qingdao, home to a major naval base, as a necessary response to global instability.
“As momentous changes of the century accelerate, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,” Dong said, addressing defence leaders from Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, and other SCO countries, as reported by Xinhua.
“Hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts severely undermine the international order,” he added.
Dong called for united efforts to “take more robust actions to jointly safeguard the environment for peaceful development”.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who also attended, emphasized the need for collective action to meet the needs of SCO citizens and confront modern challenges.
“The world we live in is undergoing a drastic transformation. Globalisation, which once brought us closer together, has been losing momentum,” Singh said in a message posted on X by his office.
On the sidelines, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov met with Dong and highlighted the growing strength of China-Russia relations.
“Friendly relations between our countries maintain upward dynamics of development in all directions,” Belousov said, calling their partnership “at an unprecedentedly high level”.
While China continues to claim neutrality in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Western officials argue that its ongoing economic and diplomatic engagement with Moscow has been a lifeline for the Kremlin.
