Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, gives a speech during the opening ceremony of the 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province on April 22, 2024. Photo: AFP

Senior naval officers from around the world on Monday witnessed the opening of a naval symposium in China which is aimed at bridging differences and seeking global governance on maritime issues, while a senior Chinese defense official reaffirmed China's commitment to resolving disputes with directly involved countries through friendly consultation, but also vowed "countermeasures" against unwarranted provocations. 

The 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) opened on Monday in the port city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the event and delivered an address, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Zhang said that China's armed forces have actively participated in international cooperation of maritime security and provided maritime public security goods, adding that China will play a more positive and open role in international military cooperation.

"We should resolutely abandon the Cold War mentality, join hands to create peace and stability, bridge differences through dialogue and consultation, jointly discuss and establish rules for governance, and push maritime security governance to a new level with practical results." 

China has been committed to resolving maritime disputes peacefully through friendly consultation with countries directly concerned, but it will safeguard its legitimate rights in the face of deliberate violation of its sovereignty and it will take firm countermeasures against unreasonable provocations, he said.

"We will not make trouble and will not be afraid of trouble. China's armed forces will resolutely safeguard national unity and interests," said Zhang.

Platform for talks

The biennial meeting, attended by naval commanders and delegates from around the world, themed "Oceans with a Shared Future" this year, and the four-day meeting will sea the participation of over 180 navy representatives from 29 countries.

This is the second time the WPNS was held in China after the country first hosted the event in 2014.

Delegates to the meeting will review activities taking place under the symposium's framework since its 18th biennial meeting, set the future agenda, and discuss and vote on issues such as the WPNS Business Charter, the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), and unmanned systems, Xinhua reported on Sunday.

Foreign naval leaders will be invited to discuss the Global Security Initiative and maritime peace, maritime order based on maritime security cooperation and international laws, and global maritime governance.

Liang Wei, a senior officer with China's Naval Research Academy (NRA), said the attendance at this meeting and the ranks of participating officers from other countries are high. "This not only demonstrates the vigor of the symposium but also reflects the influence and appeal of the Chinese navy," Liang said, Xinhua reported.

Reuters reported on Monday that "The symposium is a rare opportunity for countries with opposing regional interests to exchange views. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler is attending from the US. Other delegations include Australia, France, India, Russia and Britain."

The Global Times reporters at the symposium found that media outlets were very keen to interview US delegates, but unfortunately representatives of the US navy refused to answer any questions. 

Drills in South China Sea

On the same day of the opening of the WPNS, thousands of Philippine and American troops kicked off their annual Balikatan or "shoulder to shoulder" military exercises in the Philippines on Monday, the VOA reported on Sunday, adding as a pretext that "Beijing's growing assertiveness in the region raises fears of a conflict."

Chinese analysts said on Monday that there was no conflict at all in the region during the time of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, and after the current regime in Manila took office, President Romualdez Marcos Jr, due to meddling from the US, has abandoned the "gentlemen's arrangement" that his predecessor reached with China that ensured peace and stability in the region. This is the real cause of the current tension, not China's "growing assertiveness," as China's stance and sincerity on managing the disputes has remained the same.

The US-Philippines drills will be concentrated in the northern and western parts of the archipelago nation, "near the potential flashpoints of the South China Sea and Taiwan," the VOA reported.

Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that there is no doubt that the role the US played in the region is destructive and harmful, and Washington is a troublemaker and provocateur disrupting peace and stability there. "The US' policy in the region will one day backfire, as instability is not in line with US interests either."

The US is using regional disputes to legitimize its military presence in the region, and for Washington, the Philippines is "just a pawn on the chessboard," and if the US provokes a direct military conflict with China, the US fleets and military forces can simply walk away if the situation takes an undesirable turn, but the Philippines will stay where it is, and this is why no other regional countries want to be used by the US, said a Chinese military expert and attendee of the WPNS who asked for anonymity, urging Manila to realize the consequences as soon as possible.   

In response to why the Philippines did not attend the 19th WPNS, Liang, the senior officer with the NRA, told media on Monday that "China, as a member of the WPNS, has invited the other 29 member countries and observer states and China is not aware of the specific reasons why the Philippine Navy did not participate in this forum."