Beijing, Oct 17 (IANS): A high-profile security forum opened in Beijing on Saturday, with about 500 Chinese defence officials and scholars gathering to discuss Asia-Pacific security cooperation.
The attendees at the Xiangshan Forum are from 49 countries and five international organisations, including the UN, the Global Times reported.
The defence ministers of 16 countries, including Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia, are present at the forum.
The US and Japan also for the first time sent government representatives to the event focusing on Asia-Pacific security issues, including the South China Sea disputes.
The forum was launched by an academic association in 2006 and has been held once every two years from 2006 to 2014.