Ren Huanyu
“As a member of the Asian family and a responsible major country in the global community, China will continue to build peace, contribute to the development and uphold order in the world, and work for a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind.”
This is the remarks made by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Fifth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
With unprecedentedly active diplomatic activities in the first half of this year, China has embraced a further rise in its international influence, ability to inspire and power to shape.
On many bilateral and multilateral occasions, President Xi has made voices for safeguarding world peace and security, promoting mutual trust among major countries and neighbouring security, and offering solutions that address both the symptoms and root causes of global problems.
He called on people of all countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, which showcased the sense of responsibility of the leader of a major country.
The world is undergoing unprecedented changes and adjustments. Human beings are faced with common challenges as instability and uncertainties are mounting and traditional and non-traditional security issues become more salient.
Based on a thorough insight into the human destiny and the trend of the times, President Xi proposed a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. He encourages countries to forge a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, follow the principle of consultation, cooperation and benefit for all in global governance, and inject positive energy into building a world of universal security.
China has made a loud and clear voice to build a world of universal security. At a China-France forum on global governance, Xi offered Chinese solutions to address the deficit of governance, trust, peace and development, stressing that all countries should shoulder their due responsibilities and take concrete actions to grasp the destiny of mankind.
At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, he highlighted sustainable development as a “golden key” to solving global problems.
During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, Xi said that SCO members should make the organization an example of common security. Besides, he stated that building a safe and stable Asia is the common objective of Asian countries at the fifth summit of the CICA.
Eying global peace and common development, President Xi has always attached great importance to the building of a world of universal security.
China has signed a joint communiqué with Italy to advance bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and inked an agreement with France to jointly safeguard multilateralism and improve global governance.
The country vowed to strengthen contemporary global strategic stability in a joint statement it signed with Russia. Besides, it also reached agreements on further deepening comprehensive strategic partnerships with both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Furthermore, President Xi’s historic visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has promoted the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and contributed to the peace and stability on the peninsula.
China will strengthen bilateral cooperation and focus on regional and global common security to enhance security with each party concerned.
Building a world of universal security is increasingly becoming a consensus of the international community. Some foreign experts said that the new security concept put forward by China is a feasible solution to disputes and would contribute to regional security and stability. They also said China’s practices of the new vision of security serve as a major force in maintaining peace and stability.
Learning China’s plans and actions to build a world of universal security, the world is more and more accepting the new vision of security proposed by President Xi.
This new vision reflects the characteristics of the international situation and the requirements of the development of the times. It is also in line with the common voice of all countries for peace, development and cooperation.
Since it was put forward in 2014, the vision has been brought up for multiple times at UN meetings. It has also been included in the multilateral cooperation documents such as the declaration of CICA summit and that of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.
Human beings dwell on the same planet, and global countries are increasingly becoming a community with shared future that shares of weal and woe. To pursue common security and cooperative security is a natural demand for them.
President Xi has reiterated that China will firmly uphold the authority and stature of the UN, respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of other countries and adhere to the principle of non-interference in others’ internal affairs, encouraging countries in the world to jointly safeguard security through cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia and China should continue to strengthen coordination on major international and regional issues, jointly deal with the challenges of unilateralism and protectionism, and maintain global peace and stability.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, said that France and the EU are willing to deepen mutual trust with China and shoulder the historic responsibility of promoting world peace, security and development together.
The tree of peace does not grow on barren land while the fruit of development is not produced amidst flames of war. Development is the foundation of security and also the largest guarantee of security. Only by promoting security through development can symptoms and root causes of problems both be addressed.
At the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, participating parties reached broad consensus on promoting high-quality construction of the Belt and Road initiative, and the win-win results delivered at the forum have injected new energy to the high-quality development of the world economy.
During Xi’s overseas trips, he repeatedly elaborated Chinese plans to address the development deficit, and the plans have been broadly accepted by the world, which contributed to the shaping of a new model in which sustainable security is promoted by sustainable development, and economic cooperation and security cooperation are having sound interactions and synchronized progress.
“United we stand, divided we fall.” In an era of globalization, no country can address alone the many challenges facing mankind; no country can afford to retreat into self-isolation.
It is a common aspiration of the people from all countries to build a world with universal security free from fear and create a security architecture featuring fairness, justice, joint contribution and shared benefits.
Offering Chinese wisdom to solving global security problems, China’s new security concept and practices are envisioning a bright prospect of long-term security and common prosperity for the world.
