Kathamndu, Sept. 15: Nepal Army Chief Gen. Ashok Raj Sigdel is in China to attend the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, a major international security and defense dialogue that opened in Beijing on Tuesday.
Gen. Sigdel is participating in the three-day forum and is also expected to hold meetings with senior officials of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to Nepalese officials.
The forum, being held from Sept. 15 to 17 at the Beijing International Convention Center, has brought together delegations from nearly 100 countries, regions and international organizations. More than 60 representatives at the ministerial, military chief or higher level are attending the event, Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jiang Bin said.
This year's forum is being held under the theme “Build Consensus on Stability, Advance Security Governance Together.” Its agenda includes four plenary sessions covering international order and strategic stability, localized conflicts, security risks in the Asia-Pacific, and the role of developing countries.
Eight parallel sessions will address issues including major-power relations, Asian approaches to security challenges, maritime security, emerging military technologies and outer-space security governance, according to the organizers.
The forum will also hold closed-door discussions on sensitive international issues, including the Ukraine crisis and conflicts in the Middle East, organizer said.
Nepal has previously participated in the Xiangshan Forum at a high political level. In 2018, then Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ishwar Pokhrel attended the forum as a speaker.
The Beijing Xiangshan Forum was established in 2006 as a Track Two platform for exchanges among security experts and scholars, initially focusing on Asia-Pacific security. It was upgraded in 2014 into a Track 1.5 dialogue involving government officials alongside experts and academics and was officially renamed the Beijing Xiangshan Forum in 2018.
Over the past two decades, the forum's agenda has expanded from regional security to broader global issues, including international order, multipolarity and multilateralism.
This year's meeting also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the forum. Organizers say the platform is intended to promote dialogue, build mutual trust and encourage international cooperation on security and stability. The 4th China-Africa Peace and Security Forum is also being held in conjunction with the Xiangshan Forum.
