China’s defence chief forges Europe ties in Paris, Berlin plus UN peace pledge

In the first visit to Europe by a Chinese defence minister in more than four years, Dong Jun said Beijing would intensify security exchanges with European countries and boost its role in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Dong’s visit to France and Germany – ahead of his address to the sixth UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin on Wednesday – was not announced in advance by Beijing, and the defence ministry issued only brief statements about the meetings held with his counterparts in Paris and Berlin.

Each statement said that Dong held in-depth exchanges on bilateral relations and pledged to strengthen defence cooperation.

Sébastien Lecornu, Dong’s French counterpart, said in a social media post on Tuesday that the dialogue was “frank”, given the two countries’ shared responsibilities as nuclear-weapon states and permanent members of the UN Security Council.

According to Lecornu, both sides covered issues including free maritime navigation, the fight against nuclear proliferation, stability in the Indo-Pacific, the security situation in the Middle East, and the return to a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.

China has strengthened its defence diplomacy in recent years, portraying itself as a defender of the global order and a source of stability amid the chaos stirred by US President Donald Trump.