China hosts Iran, Russia defence ministers against backdrop of ‘turmoil’

China hosted Defence Ministers from Iran and Russia for a meeting in its eastern seaside city of Qingdao on Thursday (June 26, 2025) against the backdrop of war in the Middle East and a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in Europe that agreed to boost military spending.

Beijing has long sought to present the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs and has pushed to strengthen collaboration between its member countries in politics, security, trade and science.

The Qingdao meeting of the organisation’s top defence officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds after 12 days of fighting between the arch-foes.

It is also being held the day after a summit of NATO leaders in The Hague, where members agreed to ramp up their defence spending to satisfy U.S. President Donald Trump.

Beijing’s ties with Moscow are also in the spotlight. China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia’s war with Ukraine, although Western governments say its close ties have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support.

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov painted a bleak picture of a world seeing “worsening geopolitical tensions” when he addressed his counterparts at the meeting.

“The current military and political situation in the world remains difficult and shows signs of further deterioration,” he said, according to a Russian defence ministry statement.

His Chinese counterpart Dong Jun also framed Thursday’s (June 26, 2025) meeting in Qingdao, home to a major Chinese naval base, as a counterweight to a world “marked by intertwined turmoil and changes”.

“It is all the more important for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to play its role as an anchor of stability,” he said, according to state news agency Xinhua.