Offering hope that troubled world can be calmed

The conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas have not only brought heavy losses to the belligerent parties and untold sufferings to innocent civilians but also cast a dark shadow on the already anemic post-pandemic economic recovery.

Despite pledging to help "for as long as it takes", the West's support for Ukraine is beginning to show signs of fatigue. Both the US and its European allies are increasingly reluctant to provide more assistance to Kiev as their politicians are facing mounting pressure at home to pay more attention to address domestic woes rather than continuously funneling taxpayers' money into a conflict that increasingly looks like a stalemate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has just concluded his third begging-for-assistance visit to the United States since the fighting started with empty hands.

The United States is also facing a strong backlash to its uncritical support of Israel's military operation against Hamas. The brutal Israeli military operations have resulted in heavy civilian fatalities and an ever-worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, triggering a tsunami of international condemnation.

In stark contrast to the US-led West's one-sided support of Ukraine and Israel, which has contributed not an iota to ending the two conflicts, let alone a permanent solution to the differences that have triggered the two conflicts, China has maintained a just, impartial stance and is playing a responsible and constructive role in promoting peace efforts.

Earlier this year, Beijing put forward a 12-point proposal to resolve the Ukraine issue through political settlement. It urged efforts to address both the symptoms and root causes of the crisis, and reiterated the necessity to end the conflict through dialogue and negotiation.

For the Gaza conflict, apart from intensified diplomatic mediation within the United Nations framework, China has also put forward a five-point position paper, calling for a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue and stressing immediate implementation of a ceasefire, effective protection of civilians and ensuring humanitarian assistance. Its efforts to promote an end to the hostilities in Europe and the Middle East are a further demonstration that China is a reliable force upholding fairness and justice in the world.

But the international community also needs to reflect on the broader picture and how to prevent differences erupting into conflict. The Global Security Initiative that China has proposed, and the Concept Paper which expounded on it, offer a solid foundation on which the international community can work together to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts, improve global security governance, and encourage joint international efforts to bring more stability and certainty to the volatile global situation.

As the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza show, snuffing out the flames of war, brokering peace and working to prevent conflicts must be at the top of the world's to-do list as we enter the new year.