Lasting Peace

　　A decades-old international relations tenet remains crucial to global security

　　Although China is demonstrating its peaceful approach to international affairs， it has always been an easy target for critics in the Western media. Any unharmonious interaction between China and its neighbors is likely to be exaggerated by the outside world as China’s wrongdoing.

　　Observers call it undergoing the “growing pains” of a giant. Regardless， China is trying to gain understanding with sincerity. In celebrating a six-decade-old international relations norm initiated by China， India and Myanmar—known as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence —China is committing to the world that it will continue to follow its road of peaceful development. Observers add that China will contribute to the settlement of current international conflicts by making efforts in promoting and enriching the Five Principles.

　　An enduring norm

　　On June 28， China， India and Myanmar marked the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles in a high-profile fashion in Beijing with the participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping， Myanmar’s President U Thein Sein and Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari.

　　Initiated in 1954， the Five Principles is an important international relations tenet created by the three Asian countries， which includes mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity， mutual non-aggression， non-interference in each other’s internal affairs， equality and mutual benefit， and peaceful coexistence.

　　In the early 1950s， late Chinese leader Mao Zedong announced that China should fight for lasting world peace， that Beijing would never be aggressive toward any countries， and that it would not permit imperialism and aggression against China. He also said the Chinese people have the right to decide their country’s affairs and China would not allow any other country to interfere in its internal matters. Mao added that China will also never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. These ideas formed the rudiment of the Five Principles.

　　The Five Principles were first put forward by then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai at a meeting with the Indian delegation for negotiations on bilateral relations in China’s Tibet region in December 1953. The principles were later incorporated into the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse Between the Tibet Region of China and India released on April 29， 1954. In June that year， Premier Zhou visited India and Myanmar， then known as Burma. The joint statements issued between Zhou and his Indian and Burmese counterparts affirmed the Five Principles as guiding principles for China-India and China-Burma relations.

　　Gao Fei， a professor with the Beijing-based China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU)， claimed the Five Principles have been serving as the fundamental basis of China’s diplomacy. He said the Five Principles were raised in China’s diplomatic practice when settling historical problems with its neighbors. Based on these principles， China has properly resolved border problems with Myanmar and Laos.

　　“The Five Principles have not only been the basic norm of China’s foreign policy， but also reflected the demand of the developing countries and become a fundamental norm of modern international relations，” said Gao.

　　Following the example of China， India and Myanmar， an increasing number of countries adopted the Five Principles. In April 1955， delegations of 29 countries from Asia and Africa attended the Bandung Conference in Indonesia， and 10 principles were passed—all inspired by the Five Principles.

　　Wang Fan， Vice President of the CFAU， noted that the Five Principles were created mainly to resolve border disputes， but its guiding significance on international relations has been expanding.

　　“In other words， for the current global situation， if all global members observe the Five Principles， conflicts between nations can be resolved and crises be kept under control，” Wang said.

　　Qu Xing， President of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS)， echoed Wang， noting that the current Ukrainian crisis and Iraqi crisis were both caused by foreign interference， which goes against the Five Principles.

　　Since the United States launched the Iraq War in 2003 and overthrew the former Iraqi regime after falsely claiming the country possessed large amounts of weapons of mass destruction， the Middle East country became a haven for terrorists. The U.S. interference in Iraq’s domestic affairs resulted in not only the further rise of regional anti-U.S. sentiment but also a more turbulent situation in the region. Meanwhile， the competing zones of influence between Western countries and Russia over Ukraine have led to the current civil unrest and national split of the East European country.

　　Observers said the settlement of ongoing territorial disputes also requires the strict observance of all parties to the Five Principles.

　　Wang said the Five Principles particularly emphasize mutuality， the parity of responsibilities and obligations， and opposition to unilateralism. That is to say， countries should respect each other regardless of size and settle their bilateral disputes through dialogue.

　　According to Wang， the deadlock of the current territorial disputes in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is due to relevant countries insisting on unilateral moves and even seeking help from outside forces， rather than relying on talks or shelving the disputes to collect the resources together.

　　Qu of the CIIS also claimed that some regional countries’ unilateral moves， which are discrepant with the Five Principles， are the major reason for the unrest in East Asia.

　　“Regardless of China’s sovereignty claim， Japan’s provocative move of ’purchasing’ the Diaoyu Is lands is the ultimate source of the current regional tension，” Qu said.

　　Qu noted that Japan’s unilateral actions are the result of a rightward shift in Japanese politics in recent years.

　　As Japanese politics gradually turn right， Japan took a series of moves that aroused regional tension， including whitewashing its war crimes， prodding territorial quarrels with its neighbors， and， most recently， lifting a ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense by reinterpreting its pacifist Constitution.

　　Observers noted that the past 60 years have witnessed a rapid pace of globalization and an increasingly interdependent world. But challenges such as biased international relations and regional conflicts and wars are reminding the world that there is a long way to go to safeguard world peace and promote common development.

　　Under such circumstances， as President Xi indicated in his keynote speech at the commemoration marking the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles， their spirit， far from being outdated， remains as relevant as ever； their significance， rather than diminishing， remains as important as ever； and their role， rather than being weakened， has continued to grow.

　　New dimensions

　　In addition to adhering to the Five Principles， China has been enriching the concept in recent years.

　　Sun Shihai， a senior researcher on international studies with Peking University， said that although the world situation has undergone a sea of changes， the core concept of the Five Principles has not been changed. Throughout these changes， its content has been refined.

　　In recent years， China has made great efforts in safeguarding global security and peace. Years ago， China proposed a new type of future-oriented partnership between the major powers to handle relations with major countries of the world. The concept， featuring equality， cooperation， inclusiveness， and mutual benefit， aims to create reasonable and stable relations among world powers for the sake of avoiding the tragedy of Thucydides’ trap.

　　More recently， at the Fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia， noting that one cannot live in the 21st century with the outdated thinking of Cold War and zero-sum games， China raised a new Asian security concept that stresses common， comprehensive， cooperative and sustainable security to tackle rising challenges facing the region.

　　And during commemoration of the Five Principles， President Xi underlined the importance of six new key elements-—sovereign equality， common security， common development， win-win cooperation， inclusiveness and mutual learning， as well as fairness and justice.

　　Qu of the CIIS said that in the modern era of globalization， the Five Principles bear much more significance for international relations as other approaches such as science and the economy influence a country’s diplomacy as much as the military. Thus， the world needs the Five Principles far more to handle international relations.

　　And Xi’s new proposal has not only enriched the content of the Five Principles， but also demonstrated the consistency of China’s peaceful foreign policy， Qu added.

　　However， as the Five Principles are only a tenet of international relations， they lack legal weight.

　　Sun， the senior researcher， said that although they have played a positive role in guiding the world order， the Five Principles are still an idealistic concept. To make full use of this philosophy， the international community needs a series of mechanisms to act as guarantees. “Even an international law should be a possible choice，” he added.

　　Moreover， observers noted the necessity of promoting greater democracy in international relations.

　　In Xi’s speech marking the anniversary， he announced the Chinese Government would establish the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Friendship Award and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Scholarship of Excellence.

　　Qu said the move will effectively promote this international philosophy. The award and scholarship will advance the spread of the Five Principles and deepen understanding of the concept among people from all over the world.

　　Professor Gao of the CFAU suggested that win-win cooperation should be one of the practical approaches to achieving the Five Principles in the new era. China’s recent cooperation initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt， the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road， the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor as well as the China-ASEAN Community of Common Destiny are all concrete steps to promote the Five Principles through win-win cooperation.

　　“With the advancement of multi-polarization， economic globalization and cultural diversity in the world， the mutual interdependence of international community members has gradually deepened and global problems have become more prominent. Thus， only cooperation can help countries to respond to risks and challenges together and ensure peace and development for the whole world，” Gao said.

　　By Yu Lintao

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