ISLAMABAD (PEN) : China convened defence ministers from Iran, Russia, and other Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states on Thursday in Qingdao, against a backdrop of ongoing geopolitical changes and recent Middle East developments.
The gathering, held in China’s eastern port city of Qingdao, home to a major naval base, comes shortly after a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel following 12 days of intense conflict. It also coincides with a NATO summit in The Hague, where member countries pledged increased military spending.
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun emphasized the SCO’s role as a stabilizing force amid what he described as a world facing “chaos and instability.” Addressing attendees including officials from Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Belarus, Dong warned that “unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,” while condemning “hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts” that undermine the international order.
He urged fellow defence chiefs to “take more robust actions to jointly safeguard the environment for peaceful development,” underscoring China’s call for greater multilateral cooperation within the SCO framework.
On the sidelines, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov praised the growing ties between Moscow and Beijing, calling their relationship “at an unprecedentedly high level.” He noted that “friendly relations between our countries maintain upward dynamics of development in all directions.”
While China has maintained a stance of neutrality in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, Western nations have criticized Beijing for providing Moscow with significant economic and diplomatic support.
This SCO defence ministers meeting underscores China’s effort to present the organisation as a counterbalance to Western-led alliances amid shifting global power dynamics.
