Cold water can't dampen significance of discussions among estranged parties

The way in which some Western media outlets have reported on the 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium hosted by China in Qingdao, Shandong province, from Sunday to Wednesday only exposes that they have missed the point.

They have tried to portray the gathering of high-level delegations from 29 countries as being merely an occasion for Beijing to attempt to defend itself against the allegations of the West, which accuses it of making "dangerous, irresponsible, bullying, provocative and coercive" moves targeting its smaller neighbors in the South and East China seas.

These reports originate from the media outlets' biased view that Beijing is the root cause of the security threats in the region. They are not only a deliberate distortion of the truth; more importantly, they fail to convey the practical significance of the forum.