China offers a solution to widespread security deficit

Today's world, at a crossroads between the Ukraine crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, is far from being stable and secure. The themes of the era, namely peace and development, face severe challenges.

At this critical moment, President Xi Jinping put forward the six-point Global Security Initiative at the opening on April 21 of the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia. It is China's plan to make up for the global security deficit and guard world peace and tranquillity.

China calls for solidarity in the initiative. "Common good" and "universal peace" have been the sincere aspirations of the Chinese people since ancient times. As President Xi pointed out, humanity is living in an indivisible security community, and the fundamental solution to global security challenges is upholding the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

To achieve universal and common security, countries need to hold dear the principle of indivisible security, take seriously the legitimate security concerns of all others, and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture.

Members of the global family must peacefully resolve differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation, and no one should pursue their own "absolute security" at the risk of cornering others into "absolute insecurity".

The way out of crises is to encourage all parties to defuse tensions through dialogue, rather than fanning the flames by abusing sanctions and reaping profits from arms sales.

China advocates nonaggression in the initiative. As the old Chinese saying goes, "The big should not attack the small, the strong not insult the weak, and the majority not bully the minority." This philosophy is as relevant as ever. Any country, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, is an equal member of the international community.

History has repeatedly warned us that a sense of superiority and the "might is right" thinking are the seeds of turmoil, that zero-sum games and camp confrontation are the causes of war, and that jungle laws and power logic are the roots of danger. The tragedy of the 20th century should by no means be repeated in the 21st century.

We must rail against hegemony and power politics, oppose interference in others' internal affairs, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and settle disagreements through talks.

We should do away with unilateralism, Cold War mentality, group politics and bloc head-butting, and oppose building "exclusive yards with high walls". What the world needs is to practice true multilateralism and abide by the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

China champions coordination in the Global Security Initiative, which is a well-rounded, systematic proposal. It underscores the importance of both traditional and nontraditional security for a peaceful and stable world.

The interests of all countries are closely entwined. Various nontraditional security issues such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity, refugee crises and public health, emerging as the main threats facing all mankind, have led the world to an interconnected security dynamic that has a global impact.

No country can stay immune from the spillover effects or fix its problems by blame-shifting. Countries must rise up to challenges hand in hand, rather than decoupling from others or building a "parallel system".

The security initiative and the Global Development Initiative proposed by President Xi last year are the two driving wheels of a vehicle. Setting sights on security as well as development issues, they have echoed the global call for peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit.

China has put the ideals in the Global Security Initiative into action. As a responsible major country, we have made sustained efforts to defend world peace and security. Over the decades, China has actively participated in UN peacekeeping operations and has so far sent the largest number of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the Security Council.

On the Ukraine issue, China upholds integrity and impartiality, makes its own judgment based on the merit of the matter, and promotes peace talks. On the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to bridge the immunization gap, China has provided over 2.1 billion doses of vaccines to the international community. What's more, China has made crucial contributions to other nontraditional security threats by spearheading efforts on global climate governance and launching the Global Initiative on Data Security.

By contrast, a certain major power, to serve its self-interest, is keen on inciting division, disrupting the international order, and dragging the world into a "new cold war" by drawing ideological lines and engaging in group politics.

On Ukraine, it poured fuel on the fire by imposing unilateral sanctions, and it has made a big fortune from the war. Some countries followed suit but turned out to face greater security and economic difficulties. The result benefits no one.

To make matters worse, the certain country has been peddling an "Indo-Pacific strategy" in the Asia-Pacific, a region that values peaceful development, in an attempt to turn the Asia-Pacific into another NATO consisting of military blocs.

The whole world and all regional countries must see through the hegemonic and power politics nature of the strategy, stay highly vigilant and independent, safeguard peace, unity and cooperation together, and stand on the right side of history and the right side of international fairness and justice.

Small steps get us to faraway places. China will continue in-depth exchanges with other countries and build up consensus on the Global Security Initiative. It will double down on efforts to translate the visions in the initiative into reality, respond to the calls of the times with concrete actions, and work for proper settlement of regional and international hot spots for a world of lasting peace and universal security.

The author is commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.