Peaceful development vital to region

Remarks by Major General Ci Guowei, chief of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of National Defense

It gives me great pleasure to discuss with you over the topic of "New Model of Defense Cooperation".

The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. Peace and development remain the call of our times. People across the world are becoming members of a community of shared destiny with their interests and security intertwined. Chinese President Xi Jinping put forth the great vision of building new-type major country relations and a community with a shared future. The pursuit of peace, stability and development has become the universal aspiration of the international community. The force for peace grows much faster than the factors for war. However, hegemony, power politics and unilateralism flare up from time to time, exerting impact to the international security system and order. The Asia-Pacific region, where we survive and thrive, is home to many hotspots and sensitive issues. Challenges from discord for ethnic and religious reasons, terrorism, transnational crime and major natural disasters, and risks in environmental, cyber, energy and resource security are on a notable rise. Security issues are extending in both its implication and forms. Therefore, it is important to further extend military exchange and cooperation, and explore new models of defense cooperation with a view to maintaining regional and international peace and stability.

As for models of defense cooperation in the region, there are not only the US-led military alliances, but also organizations, for example, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), adhere to the principle of nonalignment with open membership, and multilateral mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus, the Shangri-La Dialogue, the Western Pacific Naval Symposium and the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Which model of defense cooperation is more effective? As an saying goes in China, the ocean is vast because it admits hundreds of rivers. No model is a panacea for all problems. The Chinese side believes that no country can respond alone in face of the complex international security threats, nor can they resort to arms for all problems. We are bound to uphold common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security for all, and abandon the Cold War mentality and confrontation between military blocs so as to realize common security.

Aiming at win-win results, defense cooperation shall be based on mutual respect and mutual trust. In this regard, the SCO provides a model which champions mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and common development. Since 2001 when it was founded, the SCO has put in place a framework for defense and security cooperation structured by "one meeting, two hallmark programs, and one support". Under the framework, member states carried out extensive cooperation in multiple fields with the Defense Ministers' Meeting as the lead, the Fanfare for Peace military tattoo and the Peace Mission counterterrorism joint exercise as showpieces, and functional exchanges as the substantive. By creating the SCO Model, the organization offers another option for regional cooperation, which is a significant contribution to regional peace and development and has received increasingly wide recognition of the international community.

China is fully aware that its peaceful development is closely linked with the future of Asia-Pacific. We advocate active bilateral and multilateral security dialogue and cooperation and strive to facilitate regional cooperation in both economy and security. China adopts a holistic approach to security governance that addresses both the symptoms and root causes. China's proposals on the Asia-Pacific security architecture are meant to complete and improve the existing mechanisms, rather than overturn them and start all over again. To this end, China proposes the following:

First, we need to promote positive interaction between major countries for defense cooperation. Only when major-country relations remain generally stable can the Asia-Pacific enjoy relative tranquility. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is running at a high level. The state-to-state and military-to-military relations between China and the US remain generally stable despite twists and difficulties. China always adheres to the principles of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation in China-US relations. This is a decision made by us not only for developing the bilateral relations, but also for maintaining security in Asia-Pacific and the world. Healthy interaction between major countries requires their joint efforts toward the same goal. It is also important for other countries to support and cooperate in this respect, instead of fomenting dissension for their own immediate interests.

Second, we need to build an open and inclusive architecture for defense cooperation. Military blocs left over from the Cold War are the choices of only a small number of countries and do not represent the preference of the majority of regional and international communities. The Cold-War mentality, which differentiates adversaries from allies based on ideology, has long been outdated. Expanding military alliance, under whatever pretext, is not in line with the trends of the times. We have taken note the "Indo-Pacific" concept put forward by relevant country. China advocates that all initiatives newly proposed should be in favor of greater transparency and inclusiveness with wider participation, and fit in the era of integrated global economy, political pluralism and shared security. None should undermine the interests of others or develop into exclusive military blocs.

Third, we need to enhance practical cooperation in nontraditional security. Compared with traditional security issues, nontraditional security is an area where countries have reached more consensuses and carried out more joint engagements. Therefore, we should proceed from the lower-hanging fruits and continue our cooperation with nontraditional security as the priority for greater mutual trust. In recent years, through regular engagements in joint counterterrorism, peacekeeping and HADR exercises and training, China has continued to extend practical cooperation with its neighboring countries, especially the ASEAN members. As the cochairs of the ADMM+ EWG (ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus Experts' Working Group) on Counterterrorism, China and Thailand will respectively host a tabletop exchange and a field training exercise on counterterrorism this year. Our cooperation will not stop at exchanges and exercises. The ultimate goal of defense cooperation is to enhance capabilities to meet challenges and pursue common security and development.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Like air and sunshine, peace is something that we may take for granted but cannot live without. We cannot develop without a peaceful environment. As we live in the same and only earth village, it is imperative for us to recognize that we share a future. Riding on the trend of the times, China will proceed on the right direction by continuing to pursue its own security in the bigger context of maintaining security for all in the region, and promoting cooperation with innovated security concepts, so as to contribute to a bright future of the Asia-Pacific when the region can guide the development of the world, benefit all parties and create better lives for future generations.