On April 22, the 19th annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum opened in Qingdao, Shandong, after the Chinese Ministry of Defense released information showing that naval officials from 29 countries, including Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Alexander Moiseyev and Commander of the US Pacific Fleet Stephen Koehler, led a delegation to attend the opening ceremony of the annual meeting, and Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended and delivered a speech.
In two days, delegations from 22 member states and 7 observer states discussed and deliberated more than 10 topics and related documents, held a high-level seminar on the theme of "Ocean with a Shared Future", organized more than 30 talks and meetings, and exchanged views on a series of issues of concern to the navies of various countries.
Military expert Wang Yunfei:
"The Western Pacific region is not a very peaceful and stable region, we need to sit down together to discuss how to maintain the security of the marine environment, because maritime security is facing an increasingly complex situation, so everyone hopes to avoid conflicts, find a way out, can maintain regional peace and stability for a long time, the Western Pacific Naval Forum is a very important international forum. ”
Military expert Sasu:
"A lot has changed in 10 years, and the topics we discussed at the two naval forums in the Western Pacific have changed dramatically, and in 2014 we were talking about the security of international shipping, mainly because of the high level of piracy around Somalia at that time, which threatened international shipping. Ten years later, the security of the Western Pacific region is the focus of the world's maritime shipping concerns. Countries in the region or countries directly concerned will be more concerned about the maritime security in front of their own doors, which is also related to the fact that the interests of various countries in the neighborhood have become more powerful. ”
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The theme of this year's annual meeting of the forum is "The Ocean with a Shared Future", and the top leaders of the navies of various countries have launched discussions on this theme, and peace has become the most frequent word in the course of the discussion.
Canadian Navy Commander Angus Topsey believes that the concept of a community with a shared future for the oceans helps to ensure the openness and sustainability of the oceans. The convening of the annual meeting of the Forum provides an opportunity for countries to exchange ideas and contribute to the maintenance of maritime security.
Military expert Cao Weidong:
"Sharing a common destiny is to emphasize that the ocean is the common wealth of mankind, and we need to work together to ensure that the ocean serves all mankind, rather than treating the ocean as a few countries or an exclusive area, and there are still confrontations and risks at sea. A general direction is put forward in the hope that the sea lanes will be safe. ”
Admiral Hu Zhongming, Commander of the Chinese Navy, delivered a keynote speech at the high-level seminar on the theme of "Solidarity in the Boat, Moving Forward Hand in Hand, Building and Protecting the Ocean with a Shared Destiny", and put forward four proposals. In order to realize the good vision of eternal peace, lasting security, prosperity and beauty in the oceans, the navies of all countries should implement close communication and exchanges to consolidate the foundation of mutual trust. Improve the quality and efficiency of cooperation and promote common development. It is necessary to strengthen and strengthen operational coordination to protect maritime security and enhance maritime well-being.
Military expert Cao Weidong:
"Now there is a naval confrontation between countries. NATO and Russia are in a state of confrontation, and because of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it has brought new contradictions and problems. In the South China Sea, there are also some countries engaged in military exercises, and in the complex context, the navy or the country in the region will solve the problem, all in order to reduce military confrontation and increase trust. ”
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According to the agenda, the forum voted to adopt the "Maritime Unplanned Encounter Rules (Version 3.0)" and the update of the "Disaster Response Guidelines", and studied and discussed the revision of the "Western Pacific Naval Forum Charter".
According to the US media, the "Rules for Unplanned Encounters at Sea" were adopted in 2014 at the 14th annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum, hosted by the Chinese Navy, which is a set of guidelines aimed at reducing military tensions at sea.
Military expert Cao Weidong:
"When ships and planes of different countries meet in public waters, how can there be no confrontation and how can friction be reduced? At that time, the "Rules for Unplanned Encounters at Sea" were proposed, but today the situation has also undergone some changes, for example, the United States has still not joined the "United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea", and it has encountered problems, for example, when it enters the territorial waters of some countries, or when it is close to its exclusive economic zone, some countries have lodged protests. Some new situations and new problems are encountered, and everyone has to reach an agreement to improve this version. ”
For the first time, the annual meeting of the forum proposed the establishment of a working group on the topic of unmanned systems of the Western Pacific Naval Forum, with China as the coordinator, and the participants discussed the safety rules of unmanned systems.
With the rapid development and application of unmanned equipment and artificial intelligence technology, rules involving unmanned equipment should be added to the existing maritime security application mechanism as soon as possible to more effectively avoid friction and manage crises.
Military expert Wang Yunfei:
"UAVs are a new topic in the field of HNA, and unlike in the past, UAVs have been widely used in areas such as marine rescue, marine exploration, marine development, and marine transportation. In the past, the freedom of flight and navigation over the ocean was relatively little involved in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, so it is facing a series of new problems to be solved. ”
Military expert Sasu:
"In recent clashes and encounters, the chances of drones colliding with manned ships and aircraft have increased significantly. In this context, there are many acts that are in conformity with international law, which has become the direction of everyone's attention. For example, does shooting down a drone represent war? At that time, it was estimated that the Russian side and the United States had no idea, so the Russian side successively used the methods of air flow shock, fuel spraying, and collision to cause the US drone to crash in the Black Sea. ”
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Admiral Koehler, the new commander of the US Pacific Fleet, led a delegation to attend the forum, which was the first visit to China by a senior US general in recent years. CNN reported that Koehler made a brief comment on the sidelines of the meeting, saying, "I think this is a great opportunity for all the navies to come together and discuss all the issues." ”
Military expert Wang Yunfei:
"The main purpose of the US Pacific Fleet's visit to China is to implement the code of conduct for the safety of sea, sea and air encounters between China and the United States. Koehler also held bilateral meetings with naval officials from a number of countries. The United States has also used the occasion to pursue its own interests in support of its vision of a so-called free and open Indo-Pacific. ”
Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" said that the Western Pacific Naval Forum, which has 23 member countries and seven observer states, and the Philippines is one of the member states, is absent from the annual meeting of the forum. As early as three months ago, during the preparatory meeting, the Philippine side expressed its intention to participate in the forum.
Military expert Wang Yunfei:
"The Philippines was absent for no reason, and on the same day that the forum was held, the United States and the Philippines launched the largest 'shoulder-to-shoulder' joint military exercise in history. The Philippines' moves run counter to the purpose of the Western Pacific Naval Forum, and its failure to do so shows that the Philippines is an unstable factor in the western Pacific. ”
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The Western Pacific Naval Forum was established in 1988, and the first Western Pacific Naval Forum was held in Sydney, Australia. Initially, the Western Pacific Naval Forum operated as a sub-forum of the International Maritime Power Symposium until 1994, when it officially became independent and developed its own charter and became a regional naval forum with one working group meeting per year and one annual meeting every two years.
Military expert Cao Weidong:
"In 1988, the United States, Australia, and China proposed the establishment of the Western Pacific Forum for everyone's cooperation. Through such a platform, the direction of maritime security will be changed, relevant agreements will be developed to improve the situation, cooperation will be increased, and the risk of conflict will be reduced. Over time, there are also changes in the situation in the regional and maritime directions, which play an increasing role, become more influential, and solve more and more problems. ”
The Western Pacific Naval Forum has gradually shifted from discussing general maritime security issues to leading regional naval professional cooperation and the development of rules for maritime operations. The Western Pacific Naval Forum, which has been growing in influence, has become an influential institutional naval forum in the Western Pacific region.
In April 2014, the 14th Annual Meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum, hosted by the Chinese Navy for the first time, was adopted as an important topic of the annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum.
Military expert Wang Yunfei:
"One of the most important topics at the 14th Western Pacific Forum was the adoption of the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea, which laid the foundation for many maritime rules in the world that followed. It is a milestone event for the Chinese Navy to participate in the multilateral maritime security cooperation mechanism. At this meeting, China showed great sincerity, and the meeting was held in order to seek common ground while reserving differences, seek cooperation, resolve contradictions, and how to make up for the differences between the two sides, and was widely supported and recognized. ”
On April 23, the 19th Annual Meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum, hosted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, came to an end. At the closing ceremony, Admiral Yuan Huazhi, political commissar of the Navy, said that the delegations at the annual meeting will jointly build a "concentric circle" of peaceful development, jointly study "new rules" for maritime security, draw a "road map" for pragmatic cooperation, and jointly build a united and inclusive "big family".
Military expert Sasu:
"Peace actually represents the common concern of all countries and regions in the Western Pacific region, and the Chinese side has specifically raised this topic, in fact, it is also refuting the slander of some countries against China, believing that China will cause more problems in the Western Pacific and pose a threat to peace in the Western Pacific.
Through the practice of this period of time and the common observation of everyone, we can see that it is these countries outside the region that are really causing trouble in the western Pacific and causing problems, and China's representatives in the countries surrounding the western Pacific have issued a common voice, and everyone has the responsibility to protect their legitimate interests, but once they encounter unreasonable provocations, including China, they will resolutely retaliate, which is also the responsibility of the navy. ”
This forum has a relatively rich conference activities and active bilateral communication, which is particularly important for the current geopolitical risks of global tensions more than easing. Behind the completion of the revision of the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea and the establishment of a study group on unmanned systems are concerns and expectations for safety.
Producer: Wang Ruixue
Director: Yi Yan
Editor: Li Weifan