Xiangshan Forum: Beijing’s Counterweight to the West

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As Beijing hosts 1,800 delegates at its answer to the Shangri-La Dialogue, critics warn that narratives on history, order, and power will determine whether the forum becomes a genuine platform for peace—or just another battleground of influence.

By TRH Global Affairs Desk

NEW DELHI, September 16, 2025 — This week, Beijing is staging the 12th Xiangshan Forum, a security and defence gathering that has quickly grown into China’s answer to the Singapore-based Shangri-La Dialogue. With more than 1,800 participants from over 100 countries—including defence ministers, military chiefs, scholars, and representatives from the UN, ASEAN, and the Red Cross—the event projects a simple message: China is not just a regional power, but a convener of global security discourse.

Under the theme “Upholding International Order and Promoting Peaceful Development”, the forum comes at a precarious moment. From Ukraine and Taiwan to the South China Sea, the battle for influence is no longer about trade alone—it is about who gets to define the rules of international order.

The Power of Narratives

Derek Grossman of RAND, who is among the invited speakers, struck a note of caution before arriving in Beijing. Writing on LinkedIn, he urged great powers—China, Russia, and the US—to avoid “white-washing 20th century history” and instead embrace a more critical view of the past. “Words matter,” he warned, stressing that inflaming old wounds risks igniting new conflicts.

His comments point to the real subtext of the Xiangshan Forum: history itself. For Beijing, the post-war order is framed through the lens of sovereignty, resistance to Western intervention, and the legitimacy of its rise. For many of its critics, history is also a reminder of unresolved grievances—from 1989 to Tibet to maritime disputes—that cannot be glossed over by official slogans.

Forum Shopping or Parallel Systems?

Western analysts have long argued that China’s intent is not just dialogue but system-building. As one RAND expert told DW Asia, the Xiangshan Forum creates a kind of “forum shopping” dynamic, where countries in the Asia-Pacific are subtly nudged toward Chinese-led platforms rather than US-backed ones.

In that sense, the forum is less about conversation and more about competition. Just as the Belt and Road Initiative builds infrastructure networks parallel to Western-led institutions, Xiangshan is Beijing’s attempt to redraw the intellectual map of global security.

ASEAN and the Middle Ground

Yet, the presence of ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn—delivering plenary remarks and meeting bilaterally with defence ministers—underscores another truth: many states prefer engagement over alignment. For Southeast Asia, security forums are less about picking sides than about ensuring they are not trampled in great-power rivalry.

The Xiangshan Forum thus becomes a stage for middle powers to hedge, bargain, and amplify their voices in ways they cannot at US-centric venues. That, in itself, is a quiet victory for Beijing.

China’s Soft Power Test

But the real question is whether Beijing can translate convening power into credibility. The Xiangshan Forum projects inclusivity and balance, yet critics argue that censorship, propaganda, and selective memory undercut its legitimacy. Can a forum hosted by the People’s Liberation Army truly facilitate open debate, or is it ultimately a megaphone for China’s worldview?

The answer may lie not in official speeches but in the margins—bilateral meetings, informal exchanges, and the willingness of delegates to raise uncomfortable questions.

Why It Matters

At a time when global institutions like the UN struggle to contain conflicts and the US doubles down on minilateral security blocs, platforms like Xiangshan reveal a new reality: power today is exercised not just through armies or trade, but through the ability to set the stage for global conversations.

Whether the Xiangshan Forum evolves into a legitimate platform for peace or remains a geopolitical echo chamber will depend on how willing China is to allow genuine dialogue—about history, about grievances, and about the shared risks of a dangerous world.

For now, Beijing has shown it can convene. The harder test is whether it can convince.

Takeaways from Xiangshan Forum 2025

China’s counter to Shangri-La: Beijing is building its own parallel platform for global security debates.
Narratives matter: Competing versions of history shape legitimacy as much as military might.
ASEAN’s balancing act: Regional players use the forum to hedge, not to align.
Credibility test: Hosting is easy; allowing uncomfortable conversations is harder.

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