BEIJING — More than 320 delegates from 62 countries and international organizations opened a three-day counter-terrorism forum in Beijing on Tuesday, hosted by China’s People’s Armed Police Force, with unmanned systems and artificial intelligence at the top of the agenda.
The Great Wall-2026 International Forum on Counter-Terrorism runs from October 13 to 15 under the theme “Advancing Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Jointly Safeguarding Our Beautiful Home,” CGTN reported. Lt. Gen. Zhao Dongfang, the force’s chief of staff, delivered the keynote and proposed four measures: upholding multilateralism to build consensus, promoting exchanges and mutual learning, using digital and intelligent technologies against emerging threats, and tackling the root causes of terrorism through comprehensive measures.
The forum has four main topics: emerging threats and counter-terrorism capabilities involving unmanned systems and artificial intelligence, preventing and combating maritime terrorism, protecting key targets against attack, and countering terrorist infiltration in border areas. Participants will watch counter-terrorism training and unmanned equipment demonstrations and attend a military band concert.
Chen Xi, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, said the forum would help deepen friendship and trust between the force and its foreign counterparts, strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation and contribute to regional peace and stability, according to CGTN. The force has held five earlier editions since 2016.
The report names no participating country other than the host, and does not say which delegations came from which regions or whether any reached agreements on the sidelines. It also gives no definition of the “emerging threats” involving unmanned systems that the forum will examine, or whether the equipment demonstrations are open to the delegates’ own militaries.
