States, especially major world powers, should take responsibility for maintaining strategic stability in a time of growing security threats. Major General Meng Xiangqing, professor at the National Defense University of China, made this statement on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.
Meng spoke at a parallel panel dedicated to managing threats to strategic stability and pointed out that the world is facing unprecedented challenges. These include the impact of hegemony on regional security, the growing risk of nuclear conflict, the weakening of the international arms control system, disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as problems in the area of global governance.
"Some countries practice power politics, seek absolute strategic dominance, and provoke bloc confrontation," Meng said. According to him, such actions lead to an escalation of arms races and regional conflicts.
Warning about nuclear risks
The Chinese expert also warned about growing nuclear risks. According to him, parties involved in recent conflicts have repeatedly sent signals related to nuclear deterrence.
"The threat of nuclear war is not distant, but is right before us," he stated.
At the same time, he pointed out the rapid militarization of new areas, such as space, cyberspace, and artificial intelligence.
According to Meng, the military use of new technologies challenges the traditional rules of conducting armed conflicts and the ethics of warfare, and increases the risk that future conflicts could get out of control.
Defending the post-war international order
Meng identified the protection of the post-war international order as one of the main conditions for maintaining strategic stability.
He recalled that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, which tried Japanese militarist leaders after World War II.
"A fair trial forever branded the crimes of Japanese militarism as a stain on history and created an important legal basis for the post-war international order," he said.
According to him, the world is once again at a historical crossroads, and individual countries should be wary of any return to militaristic thinking and consistently protect the results of World War II and the post-war international order.
Nuclear arms control
Meng Xiangqing also addressed the issue of nuclear disarmament. He emphasized that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons remains a fundamental pillar of the international system of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
He called on states with the largest nuclear arsenals to fulfill their special obligations in the area of disarmament and to resume as soon as possible the process of reducing nuclear weapons in a way that is verifiable, irreversible, and legally binding.
Artificial intelligence under human control
Meng devoted a significant part of his speech to the issue of the military use of artificial intelligence.
He warned against the emergence of a "vacuum of rules" in the area of military deployment of new technologies.
"If algorithms were to make decisions about life and death, it could very easily lead to a loss of control over technology," he said.
He emphasized that decisions about war and control over weapons systems must always remain firmly in the hands of humans.
```He recalled that China has already submitted a document to the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons regarding the regulation of the military use of artificial intelligence, and supports the creation of a legally binding international instrument when conditions are appropriate.
In conclusion, Meng Xiangqing called on all countries to promote genuine multilateralism and to strengthen international cooperation for the sake of global strategic stability.
gnews.cz/CMG
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