Earlier this month, following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Tianjin, China, which celebrated the 80th anniversary of victory, China organized a grand military parade that gathered anti-Western forces in one place and is accelerating its diplomatic efforts, including attending the BRICS summit. In mid-month, it plans to hold a global security conference to emphasize the rise of China's military power.
On the 7th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced that President Xi Jinping would attend the BRICS summit via video on the 8th, where he is expected to deliver an important speech. BRICS is a gathering of emerging economies consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and it has recently been expanding its influence. Last year, countries such as Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Argentina joined.
This meeting will be hosted virtually by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the President of Brazil. According to foreign media, discussions are expected to center on responses to threats to a multipolar world order and tariffs imposed by the United States. At this meeting, not only President Xi but also President Vladimir Putin of Russia will attend. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not participate, and the Foreign Minister will represent South Asian countries. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. Brazil time.
According to China Central Television (CCTV), the 12th 'Xiangshan Forum' will be held in Beijing from the 17th to the 19th of this month. This year's forum, themed 'Upholding the international order and peaceful development,' will see participation from defense and military leaders, think tank experts, and scholars from over 100 countries, who will engage in discussions. Local media reported that discussions on 'opportunities and challenges faced by global security' took place at a preparatory meeting held from April 28 to 30. 'Weapons, equipment, and China's military power rise' is expected to be a major agenda item at this year's Xiangshan Forum.
The Xiangshan Forum, an annual multilateral security meeting initiated in 2006 following the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, is presided over by the Minister of National Defense of China. Although President Xi will not attend directly, he will convey China's security vision through a congratulatory message. In last year's meeting, President Xi delivered a message stating, "In a situation where the world's people expect safety and stability, China is practicing a global security vision, working to eliminate the root causes of international conflict, and striving to improve global security governance." As China and its allies experience conflicts with the U.S. on multiple fronts, there is significant interest in whether President Xi will deliver a message regarding the U.S. at this forum.
Earlier, on August 31, at the SCO summit opened in Tianjin, the leaders of 10 member countries, including China, Russia, India, Iran, and Pakistan, stated, "We oppose unilateral and coercive measures that violate the rules and principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," indirectly criticizing U.S. tariff policies. On the 3rd, at the 80th anniversary military parade, a total of 26 countries, mainly anti-Western nations, participated. For the first time in 66 years, the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia gathered in one place.
The United States has shown discomfort with the expansion of the anti-Western camp centered around China. Bloomberg reported, "The trilateral concept of Russia, India, and China originated in the late 1990s when Russia sought to escape excessive dependence on the United States and Europe. Including Brazil and South Africa, a new form of economic community named BRICS was born and later expanded to several countries," adding that particularly the China-Russia relationship serves as a strong countermeasure against the U.S., prompting the U.S. administration to warn earlier this year about the risks posed by the new alliance between the two countries.
Indeed, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened in July to impose additional tariffs on all countries that align with BRICS' anti-U.S. policies, criticizing those countries for trying to activate trade transactions in their own currencies rather than the U.S. dollar. In March this year, he directly remarked about the China-Russia relations, saying, "The first lesson I learned while majoring in history is that Russia and China do not want to be together."