BEIJING: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has sounded the alarm over Western ambitions to extend the Ukraine conflict into the Asia-Pacific region, making these remarks during a recent defence forum in Beijing.
The Xiangshan Forum, China’s largest military diplomacy event, provided a platform for Shoigu to voice his concerns, with a focus on NATO’s actions and its implications for regional stability.
Shoigu asserted that NATO’s activities in the Asia-Pacific region are masked by a veneer of “ostentatious desire for dialogue.” He claimed that these Western nations are covertly amassing forces and weaponry, thus promoting an arms race in the area. This includes an escalation in military deployments and the scale and frequency of military exercises in the region.
Furthermore, Shoigu disclosed that US forces are planning to employ data sharing with Tokyo and Seoul concerning missile launches to deter both Russia and China. In addition, he accused the United States of exploiting climate change and natural disasters as pretexts for “humanitarian interventions.”
Shoigu highlighted his concerns over the emergence of new security alliances like the Quad and AUKUS. These coalitions, in his view, undercut the significance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation in the region.
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However, Shoigu also clarified that Russia’s recent decision to annul its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty does not signify the treaty’s destruction. Instead, it is part of Russia’s efforts to restore balance with the United States, which never ratified the treaty. The Defence Minister emphasized that Russia does not intend to lower its threshold for employing nuclear weapons.
In a sign of Russia’s willingness to engage in post-conflict discussions regarding the Ukraine crisis and future co-existence with Western nations, Shoigu expressed openness to negotiations. However, he underscored that the current conditions for such talks are not yet established. He called for equal relations among all nuclear powers and permanent United Nations Security Council members, emphasizing their shared responsibility for maintaining global peace and stability.
