By Luo Zheng and Peng Kuang
BEIJING, Jun. 21 (ChinaMil) -- The National Defense University (NDU) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) kicked off the 2nd International Defense Forum in Beijing on June 20. High-ranking military officers, experts and scholars from nearly 100 countries gathered together to discuss and exchange views on the profound changes in international security environment, the characteristics and operational patterns of new war forms, and the impact of high-tech development represented by artificial intelligence on war.
Focusing on the theme of "New Trend in Warfare and the Impact on Peace and Development", the two-day forum is designed to discuss three subjects: "the impact of the international security environment on war forms", "new progress in modern war forms and operational patterns", "the paths and approaches to resolve conflicts and safeguard world peace". The participating parties will go deeper in the new changes of the root causes of war and combat patterns, the new visions in guiding war, as well as the new means to contain war, through conference exchanges and group discussions, with a view to contributing wisdom and strength to the new vision of human peace.
High-ranking military officers, experts and scholars at the meeting believed that peace and development are still the common aspirations and strong demands of people all over the world. However, with the resurgence of deglobalization and unilateralism, the instability and uncertainty in international situation are more prominent, and the challenges facing humanity are more severe. It is necessary for all countries across the world to work together to cope with these challenges. At the same time, a new round of military revolution has developed rapidly in a wider range. New situations and traits worthy of attention, including the ever-emerging new types of warfare, the more diversified subjects in warfare, and the ever-growing asymmetry in war, are supposed to draw the attention of and be studied by peace-loving forces.
Compared with the 1st International Defense Forum hosted by the NDU of the PLA, the forum this year features even larger scale, richer content, and more attending countries. Representatives from the foreign embassies in China, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the colleges of NDU, as well as experts and scholars from both civilian and military academic institutions, and high-ranking foreign military officers who are currently studying in the university, totaling about 400 persons, attended the forum.
