China's No.2 military leader pledges to strengthen military relations with US

China's Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, vowed to develop military ties with the United States at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, while accusing "some countries" of trying to undermine Communist Party rule. Zhang also criticized Western countries for interfering in other countries' internal affairs and instigating color revolutions. He emphasized that Taiwan is China's core interest and urged countries not to provoke China on sensitive issues. The forum, China's largest military diplomacy event, is being attended by low-level delegations from Western countries, who have chosen to discuss international security issues at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore instead.