Chen Xiaodong, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to South Africa
On April 21, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Security Initiative at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, which addressed a major question of our times — what kind of security vision the world needs to adopt to achieve common security. With this initiative, China aims to contribute its wisdom and solutions for closing the peace deficit for humanity and tackling the challenges of international security.
The Global Security Initiative advocates a security vision that provides the right guiding philosophy for maintaining world peace and security. The initiative emphasises the commitment to common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security to jointly safeguard world peace and security.
The initiative comes at a time when the world has not completely defeated Covid-19, and yet is now facing the Ukraine crisis. An international situation already rife with uncertainties is witnessing one security threat after another. The philosophy of common, comprehensive, co-operative and sustainable security echoes with the common aspiration of all countries and people to uphold international solidarity in joint efforts to build a better post-Covid world together. The initiative, therefore, has become the "golden key" to eliminate the global security deficit.
The Global Security Initiative, which upholds the non-interference principle, establishes a basic premise for maintaining world peace and security. The initiative highlights respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and respect for the development path and social system independently chosen by the people of all countries.
Warfare and chaos occur when the law of the jungle reigns and the strong bullies the weak in pursuit of self-supremacy and hegemony. It is an internal affair of a country to choose its own path, and no other country has the right to interfere or to prescribe or impose a certain track on others by force or sabotage. All countries need to be masters of their own destiny, not pawns to be manipulated by others.
The Global Security Initiative, which calls for abandoning the Cold War mentality, lays down fundamental principles for maintaining world peace and security. The initiative stresses adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and rejection of the Cold War mentality, unilateralism, group politics and bloc confrontation.
Driven by selfish interest to maintain their hegemony, some countries are bent on building “exclusive yards with high walls” or “parallel systems”, and putting together exclusive small circles or blocs that jeopardise global security and hold back global development. It is important that we practise true multilateralism, firmly uphold the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, refrain from engaging in bloc confrontation, and firmly stand on the right side of peace.
The Global Security Initiative, which stands for mutual respect, lays out important principles for maintaining world peace and security. The initiative points out the importance to take seriously the legitimate security concerns of all countries, uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others’ security.
Certain major countries, obsessed with the so-called “absolute security”, have used small countries as pawns. It chose to fan the flames at a safe distance, watching its own arms dealers, bankers and oil tycoons make a fortune out of the war while leaving people of a small country with the wounds of war that would take years to heal. All countries should be equal in enjoying security interests which intertwine with each other. No one should seek the so-called absolute security at the expense of others’ security. Otherwise, as the proverb goes, “One who tries to blow out other’s oil lamp will get his beard on fire”.
The Global Security Initiative, which champions dialogue and consultation, points the way forward to safeguard world peace and security. The initiative calls for peaceful settlement of differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, rejects double standards and opposes the abuse of unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction”.
War and sanctions are not the fundamental way to settle disputes. Dialogue and consultation is the most effective way to resolve differences. Major countries, which bear special responsibility for the settlement of international and regional hotspot issues, should uphold justice, and encourage dialogue to promote peace, instead of stoking conflicts.
The Global Security Initiative, which adopts a comprehensive approach, defines what world peace and security entails. The initiative underlines the need to maintain security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, and jointly address regional disputes and global issues such as terrorism, climate change, cyber security and biosecurity.
In the face of diverse security threats, countries should strengthen solidarity in fighting COVID-19 and improve global public health governance. We should work together to fight terrorism and build an international nuclear security system featuring fairness and win-win cooperation. We should improve governance rules in new frontiers such as deep sea, polar regions, outer space and the Internet, practice the global governance philosophy that emphasises extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits to fend off and break through security dilemmas.
China is not only the initiator of the Global Security Initiative, but also a campaigner for its implementation. China is the second largest peacekeeping contributor to the UN and the largest troop contributor among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Currently, more than 2 000 Chinese peacekeepers are serving in eight UN mission areas. China has set up the China-UN Peace and Development Fund with a total investment of US $100 million, which has supported 95 selected projects benefiting more than 100 countries and regions around the world, making important contributions to international peace, security and development.
On the road leading to peace and security, China will always walk side by side with our African brothers. More than 80% of China's peacekeepers are deployed in Africa. China has, in accumulative terms, sent over 30 000 peacekeepers to Africa, who have served in 17 UN peacekeeping missions. China supports African countries in enhancing their capacity to maintain stability and keep peace on their own, in solving African issues in an African way, and in implementing the initiative of "Silencing the Guns in Africa".
China is actively implementing the Global Development Initiative, and working with African countries to deepen the synergy between our development strategies, so as to speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and promote sustainable security through sustainable development.
At the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation last year, China and Africa agreed to jointly implement nine programmes, including the peace and security programme. China will carry out 10 peace and security projects for Africa, follow through the pledge military assistance to the African Union, support African countries in their independent efforts to fight terrorism and safeguard regional security, and conduct joint training and on-site training for China- Africa peacekeeping forces and cooperation on the control of light and small arms.
"It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies". Upholding true multilateralism, the Global Security Initiative is open to the world and welcomes the participation of all countries. China is ready to have in-depth exchanges with other parties on the initiative, build global synergy and push for its implementation so as to make the world a more peaceful, secure and prosperous place.