Xi sets out greater Asia security role for China but warns against military alliances

China is hoping a previously little-known regional security forum can strengthen its security role in Asia to counterbalance US influence in the region.

In a further sign of China’s growing ambitions in regional security, Xi vowed to expand the scope of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) to cover the whole of Asia and explore the establishment of defence dialogue among the member states.

The pledge is the latest effort by Beijing to boost its security presence in the region. China founded the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) with Russia and four Central Asian nations in 2001 – a move seen as a bid to offset Washington’s influence in global affairs.

Rafaello Pantucci, a senior research fellow with the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said the SCO was very much Central Asia-focused, but China could expand its scope via CICA.

CICA, founded by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1992, was a relatively obscure group, but China has used the platform to showcase its increasingly prominent role in regional security.

“It shows China’s recognition of the importance of regional relationships, even though the US is still the main focus of China’s foreign policy,” Pantucci said. “It’s a reflection that China is more aware that having good relationships in the region is crucial for the nation to continue to grow.”