Security threats call for Asia to come together

President Xi Jinping greets delegates at the opening ceremony of the fifth meeting of foreign ministers of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Thursday. WU ZHIYI / CHINA DAILY

How to deal with the unprecedented security threats that Asia faces tops the agenda at the two-day Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, which opened in Beijing on Thursday.

In particular, the shadows of war looming over the Korean Peninsula, as a result of the repeated nuclear and missile tests by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in defiance of the latest UN Security Council resolution, and the tensions building up in the South China Sea as a result of the frequent "freedom of navigation" operations being conducted by the United States, which challenge China's maritime sovereignty, pose severe and worsening threats to regional peace and stability.

They also risk compromising economic prosperity in Asia, which accounts for more than one-third of the world's GDP and is home to 60 percent of the world's population.

Failures to solve these and other issues have partly stemmed from a lack of trust among the countries involved, and each pursuing its own national interests.

Participants at the conference should make the best use of the platform to try and build up trust and explore ways to set up a new framework that defines regional security cooperation on a larger scale.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the fifth CICA foreign ministers' meeting, President Xi Jinping stressed China's resolve to prevent "war or chaos" on the Korean Peninsula and to achieve its denuclearization through dialogue and consultation.

And he reiterated that, while China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, rights and interests, it is willing to engage in friendly consultations and dialogues to make the South China Sea "a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation".

China, the largest country in Asia and a UN Security Council permanent member, now holds the rotating presidency of the CICA, and it is determined to play its due part in safeguarding and promoting security in Asia in a responsible way.

As Xi said, China is committed to forging a new kind of international relations featuring cooperation and reciprocity.

Which was reflected in the State Oceanic Administration's news the same day that it is working on a new plan for cooperation in the South and East China seas by focusing on partnerships between China and ASEAN and East Asian countries.

Of course all the issues will not be resolved overnight. But efforts must be made right now to establish such partnerships and a rule-based crisis-control mechanism in Asia.

Rather than military prowess, it will be agreements achieved through dialogue and mutual trust that will guarantee long-term peace and security in Asia.