Peace and development, the theme of our times, are facing grave challenges, with the Ukraine crisis lingering and rifts among major countries widening.
When the global peace deficit keeps enlarging, Chinese President Xi Jinping has consistently advocated a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, inspiring human society to march towards lasting peace and universal security.
CHINESE VISION
As the Ukraine crisis has drawn global attention and the world is eager for a way out, Xi, on multiple occasions, has pointed out that countries need to actively advocate a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
In a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Feb 25, Xi called on dropping the Cold War mentality, attaching importance to and respecting the legitimate security concerns of various countries and forming a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through negotiation.
During a video call with US President Joe Biden on March 18, the Chinese president stressed "as leaders of major countries, we need to think about how to properly address global hotspot issues and, more importantly, keep in mind global stability and the work and life of billions of people."
Whatever the circumstances, there is always a need for political courage to create space for peace and leave room for political settlement, he added.
China's rational and fair stance of calling for peace and promoting negotiations is widely recognized around the world. In their calls with Xi, multiple leaders expressed their recognition of China's propositions.
Back in 2014, at the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Shanghai, Xi proposed a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security strategy for Asia.
In the following years, the Chinese leader has continuously developed the concept and expounded it on various international occasions.
As demonstrated by Xi's vision, the world cannot just have security for one or a few countries while leaving the rest insecure, and each has an equal right to participate in regional security affairs and equal responsibility to uphold security.
Xi's security vision has also shown that diversity and differences should be turned into energy and a driving force for security cooperation, and that development is the foundation of security and security a precondition for development.
It has also enlightened countries to resolve disputes through peaceful means and oppose the arbitrary use of force or threats.
Overseas observers agreed that the vision advocated by Xi provides a new way to solve the widespread "security dilemma" in international relations.
It has offered a "China solution" to the world in the field of international security, said Tursunali Kuziev, a professor at Uzbekistan's University of Journalism and Mass Communications.
CHINESE CONTRIBUTION
As a responsible major country, China has adhered to the path of peaceful development and win-win cooperation, actively advocated and put into practice a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
China remains a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order.
The country has taken solid and firm actions in fulfilling its international responsibilities. From safeguarding global strategic stability, to actively participating in international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, from pursuing a nuclear strategy of self-defense to taking an active part in international peacekeeping operations, China has injected strong impetus into the maintenance of world peace with concrete actions.
"China is already helping us a lot in many ways, and the deployment of Chinese troops in many missions is critically important," UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix has said.
Meanwhile, China's position on promoting political settlement of hotspot issues has been consistent.
To resolve the Ukraine crisis, China has actively encouraged the two sides to keep the momentum of negotiations, overcome difficulties, keep the talks going and bring about peaceful outcomes. China has also worked to promote the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue through dialogue and consultation. As Iran's nuclear talks reach a critical point, China has been urging all parties to stay focused and build consensus.
China's contributions in non-traditional security fields such as health, climate, digitalization and anti-terrorism are being witnessed by the international community.
To date, China has supplied more than 2.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations, taken an active part in addressing climate change, put forward its carbon peak and carbon neutral goals and formulated relevant action plans, as well as proposed the Global Initiative on Data Security. It has also actively advanced global counter-terrorism cooperation, calling for addressing the root causes of terrorism and abandoning "double standards."
To realize common development, China has not only eradicated poverty through unremitting efforts, but also cooperated with other countries in this regard. It has continued to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win results, and put forward the Global Development Initiative to focus on the most pressing issues facing developing countries, including poverty reduction, food security, economic recovery, employment, health and green development.
Former Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva said that the initiatives and propositions put forward by Xi, including the security vision, have charted the course for the future of mankind.
FOR BRIGHTER FUTURE
Some major countries, however, in pursuit of hegemony and their own interests, have stirred up troubles in the world, only to complicate security issues, which, due to the interwoven past and reality, ideologies and interests, are already intricate and hard to address.
They smear other countries, hype up groundless fear, forge cliques, and politicize economic and technological issues ... in every effort to poison the atmosphere of international relations, deteriorate tensions and conflicts, hazard the global development.
They weaponize globalization and wage proxy conflicts and wars in the name of seeking "absolute security", subjecting civilians in small countries to the cost of geopolitical confrontations, while standing by and making a fortune in war ... in order to incite separation and confrontations, which has undermined world peace.
In many countries including Syria, Afghanistan and Cuba, people have been accusing the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization of ruining their work and normal life and violating their human rights and freedom, which showcases how evil hegemony falls to be.
One cannot live in the 21st century with the outdated thinking of Cold War and zero-sum games, Xi said on May 21, 2014, when delivering a keynote speech at the fourth summit of the CICA in Shanghai.
Through adhering to a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, as well as dialogue and negotiations based on equality and respect, crises and disputes can be resolved step by step.
Over the South China Sea issue, China has advocated and observed an Asian way of cooperation in the course of advancing regional cooperation, which features mutual respect, consensus-building and accommodation of each other's comfort levels, promoted the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea with other countries, and worked to reach a framework of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, realizing general stability in the region.
Regarding the Middle East issue, China has proposed establishing a multilateral dialogue platform in the Gulf region to explore ways of solving disputes by Middle Eastern countries in their own ways.
China never seeks its own gains or sphere of influence in the Middle East, nor will it participate in geographical competition in the region, and stands ready to promote the South-South cooperation with the Mideast countries.
Regional organizations and mechanisms, including the CICA and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, have continued to grow stronger, strengthened policy coordination on managing hotspot issues and regional security cooperation, and promoted the establishment of regional security cooperation and dialogue mechanisms.
China's vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security will strongly contribute to international peace and stability, said Kabinet Fofana, director of the Guinean Association of Political Science.