As a well-known Egyptian expert on Chinese politics and the policies of the ruling Communist Party in China, I closely followed the events that took place on the sidelines of the Xiangshan Forum for Security and Defense Dialogue in Beijing on September 18, 2026. The remarks came as “Yan Xiutong,” dean of the Chinese university, reprimanded the Israeli military attaché to China, “Elad Shoshan,” accusing him of “Israel killing more than 70,000 unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip.” The video clip, which was widely circulated globally and in Israeli and international media, showed a heated exchange between the dean of the Chinese university and the Israeli military attaché in Beijing on the sidelines of the Xiangshan Forum for Security and Defense Dialogue in Beijing. During the video, Chinese professor Yan Xiutong harshly criticized the Israeli military attaché Elad Shoshan, accusing Israel of causing the deaths of more than 70,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip. Yan Xiutong also addressed Israeli officer Elad Shoshan, saying, “Go to the United Nations and agree to a two-state solution to establish the State of Palestine. If you don’t reach an agreement with the Palestinians, you will never defeat terrorism.” He added, “Shooting women and children strips Israel of any legitimacy on the international stage.” When Israeli military attaché Elad Shoshan responded by saying that “Israel is trying to avoid harming civilians,” Xiutong replied, “No one believes Israeli propaganda, except for a few Israelis.” The dean of the Chinese university likened the situation to bank robbers using hostages as human shields, asking, “Would you shoot customers and employees to free the hostages? Of course not.” The Israeli officer appeared embarrassed and helpless in the face of the Chinese professor’s arguments.
The Xiangshan Security Forum has been held since 2006 and is organized by the Academy of Military Sciences of the People’s Liberation Army of China. This annual event, held in the Chinese capital, Beijing, is dedicated to security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. The core principles of this important security platform, which promotes dialogue between militaries, are equality, openness, tolerance, and experience sharing. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is keen to send several military messages to the Israeli and US defense ministries, demonstrating China’s strength in defending its territory and the Chinese mainland. The PLA will showcase China’s most significant achievements in military research and introduce China’s advanced defense technology exhibits at the Beijing International Exhibition of Dual-Use Technologies and Equipment (DUI), which combines both civilian and military purposes.
The Xiangshan Security Forum is China’s answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue hosted by Singapore, with the participation of thousands of political, military, and academic figures from around the world.This three-day event comes at a time when China is positioning itself as a mediator capable of playing an important role in resolving the most complex global crises, including the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip.
Hence, my academic connection to this confrontation with the Chinese professor and the Israeli military attaché was intentional, as China publicly raised a slogan for all participants in the 12th Xiangshan Security Forum, focusing on confronting the attempts of some external forces to incite crises in various regions of the world. Representatives of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army emphasized during the forum that “certain countries, driven by their narrow interests, seek to sow chaos by using other countries as tools, which contradicts the interests of the region and its orientation toward peaceful development.” For this reason, China was keen to include countries with emerging and advanced economies, as well as countries involved in Middle Eastern conflicts, such as Israel, Iran, and Palestine, in addition to India and Pakistan. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army considered that “the combined participation of these countries ‘affirms the value of the Xiangshan Security Forum.’”
What stood out most to me analytically this year at the 12th Xiangshan Security Forum was Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun’s public denunciation of “hegemony and bullying,” a subtle reference to the United States and Israel. Addressing the audience at the opening ceremony of the 12th Xiangshan Security Forum on Thursday, September 18, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun warned of new threats and challenges currently facing world peace, asserting that “while contemporary themes such as peace and development remain unchanged, the clouds of the Cold War mentality, hegemony, and protectionism have not yet dissipated.” He added that “the world once again stands at a crossroads: peace or war, dialogue or confrontation.” He emphasized that “the Chinese military is ready to cooperate with the militaries of other countries to maintain world peace, and that historical memory must serve as a constant warning to recognize and oppose the logic of hegemony and bullying disguised in a new form.” Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun officially declared in his address to the international military community participating in the forum that “the Chinese military is ready to cooperate with the militaries of other countries to maintain world peace.”
The Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun’s statements during the Xiangshan Security Forum also come just two weeks after a massive Chinese military parade in Tiananmen Square to commemorate China’s 1945 victory over the Japanese invasion. The parade saw China unveil a range of new weapons, including advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles, drones, and laser technology. Therefore, most of these Chinese comments, from my analytical perspective, are a subtle reference to Israel and its close American ally, as China’s main competitor in recent years and a constant threat to Chinese national security with its activities, policies, and interventions.The most prominent feature of this year’s 12th Xiangshan Forum for Security Cooperation in Beijing was the presence of the Israeli military attaché amid a high-level international military presence from most countries around the world. This was in line with the stated goal of the Xiangshan Forum this year of “multilateral dialogue that enables the formulation of new initiatives to maintain global stability.” China also included several sensitive issues on the current forum’s agenda on the sidelines of the Xiangshan Security Forum, such as nuclear non-proliferation, which now requires urgent discussion. In addition, new topics were included, such as recent developments in artificial intelligence, biological and space technologies, and expanding the scope of arms control. This makes the convening of the forum at this time of utmost importance to the entire international community.In my view, this Chinese confrontation with the Israeli military attaché may have been deliberate, especially given the strong presence of the world’s most prominent military figures and the participation in the 12th Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, with the participation of more than 100 countries, including Russia. The forum was held under the theme of “Protecting the International Order and Promoting Common Peaceful Development.” Defense ministers, commanders of the armed forces, and officials from international organizations, research centers, and universities, as well as experts and scholars, participated, discussing key international security issues and exchanging views on current challenges. More than 1,800 participants, including hundreds of media professionals, attended the forum. Russia also participated in the 12th Xiangshan Forum in Beijing this year, with a large delegation headed by Russian Deputy Defense Minister “Anna Tsivlieva” and including “Dmitry Trishkin,” Director of the Military Medical Administration, “Yulia Yarkova,” Director of the Social Security Administration, and a number of other officials.
The confrontation between the Chinese professor and the Israeli military attaché may also have been premeditated, following confirmation by the official spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Colonel “Jiang Ping,” that “this year’s 12th Xiangshan Security Forum in the Chinese capital, Beijing, will pay special attention to the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II, through sessions titled ‘The Contemporary Significance of Victory in the Global Anti-Fascist War’ and ‘80 Years Since the Founding of the United Nations: Progress in the Shadow of Global Transformations.’” This appears to be a deliberate message from China to the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israeli army, via the Israeli military attaché, who was invited to attend the 12th Xiangshan Security Forum in Beijing, that the main goal of the forum and its participants this year is to give impetus to multilateral efforts aimed at protecting the gains of victory, preserving the post-war international order, and preventing and eliminating military fascism everywhere. This could send an implicit and indirect message to the Israeli side participating in the 12th Xiangshan Security Forum at the invitation of China.
Given China’s commitment to inviting Israel and all international military figures to participate in several seminars and events denouncing military fascism and calling for a multipolar world, the most prominent of these is China’s organization of a special symposium on September 17th, bringing together young people, military officers, and experts under the title of “Military Memories and the Contemporary World.” Participants exchanged views on historical facts and experiences that can be used to formulate a more just global order. At the same time, China is organizing an event on September 18th to discuss a similar issue in a panel discussion with experts from Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States, under the title of “Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the International Order.” On the closing day of the Xiangshan Security Forum, China was keen to hold a general meeting focused on consolidating the results of China’s victory over Japanese military fascism while taking into account current challenges related to strengthening global security and ensuring comprehensive stability. These are all messages intended to be conveyed publicly by China to both Israel and the United States during the Xiangshan Forum. The 12th Xiangshan Security Forum in Beijing. Thus, the 12th Xiangshan Security Forum served as a guarantee of deep communication between historical heritage and contemporary reality, with one of its most important themes being strengthening China’s global initiatives in the areas of governance and security, aimed at building a shared human future in accordance with the vision of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Accordingly, we understand that China’s eagerness to invite the Israeli and US defense ministries to participate in this year’s Xiangshan Security Forum, given the ongoing tensions around the world, may have been an attempt by China to communicate its perspective by organizing special events on Chinese peacekeeping operations and informing the public, the international community, and the military participating in the security forum about the role of the Chinese armed forces in promoting global stability. This is within the framework of promoting a new concept of security based on cooperation, which is completely at odds with the American and Israeli perspectives.