Guide
The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence not only set goals and strategies for developing countries to shake off colonial oppression and achieve independence, but also provide a path for peaceful coexistence between developing and developed countries. It transcends differences in social systems and ideologies and embodies the basic norms of international relations. However, some Western countries cling to the Cold War mentality and have long pursued a strategy of containment and containment against China and other emerging countries, regarding China's rise as a "threat". This is not only contrary to the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, but also incompatible with the basic principles of freedom and equality in the modern West.
Author: Takashi Ishida is an associate researcher at the School of Humanities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Seventy years ago, then-Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai put forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, namely, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. For Asian and African countries, enslaved by Western colonialism and imperialism, these principles reflect both the goal of freeing themselves from oppression and achieving self-determination, as well as concrete strategies. In 1955, as tensions between the East and the West escalated over the Cold War, Asian and African countries gathered in Bandung, Indonesia, to discuss ways for independent states to participate in the construction of a new post-war international order based on these five principles. Although the United States was not invited, it did everything possible to obstruct the unity and cooperation of third world countries during the meeting.
Seventy years on, what is the outcome of this struggle between liberation and oppression? Seventy years ago, with fear and hostility towards the new China, the United States, Japan, and other countries adopted a policy of containment against China; Now, they are worried about the rise of emerging countries such as China, so they are repeating their old tactics and introducing new containment policies. China's hard-won right to national independence and economic development has become a "threat" in the eyes of some Western countries and must be suppressed.
It is within this historical framework that Sino-Japanese relations are constantly evolving. Despite its post-World War II democratization and self-proclaimed peace-loving nature, Japan has sought to contain China's rise through a security alliance with the United States during and after the Cold War, elapsing its constitution and expanding its armaments.
Image source: Visual China
According to the "logic" of Western countries, developing countries can develop their economies, but the degree of development must not surpass that of developed countries, and they must not follow the socialist road. But this view deprives developing countries of their right to pursue prosperity and national progress, and violates the basic principles of freedom and equality in the modern West. Even in a multipolar world, there are still quite a few countries that reject those who deviate from the "Western standard". In addition, the Western world views the continued unilateral hostility and attacks of the powerful (former colonial powers) against the weak (former colonial powers) as a state of "equilibrium".
In Japanese society, while some people advocate pacifism and international cooperation, many more people generally believe that the law of the jungle is an unavoidable and cruel "reality." Otherwise, why is pacifism, which advocates the renunciation of war and military force, undermined? Why is the pace of military build-up still moving forward? Pacifism has not played its due positive role, but has been seen by some as a sign of weakness. Most people believe that strengthening the military is a last resort, which shows that the "pacifist constitution" has not become a weapon of thought for the people.
It is worth noting that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence also have a more lofty connotation. It calls on all countries to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and only on this basis can they coexist peacefully. Not only that, but it also emphasizes the opposition to power politics in the process of decolonization of former colonial countries, and advocates respect for the equal rights of all countries, regardless of national strength and social system.
Some readers may mistakenly believe that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are just a response strategy for Third World countries during the Cold War. However, a deeper study of its connotation and historical background will reveal that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were born in the historical context of resisting Western aggression and colonialism. Therefore, it can be said that it was the five principles that led to a united Third World.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency
It should also be emphasized that the purpose of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence also includes peaceful coexistence with Western countries. In fact, at a time when political coexistence with Western countries was not immediately realized, some countries adopted a gradual people-to-people diplomacy strategy as a means of establishing political coexistence with Western countries. For example, as early as the fifties and sixties, China and Japan engaged in humanitarian diplomacy and people-to-people economic exchanges, including the repatriation of Japanese stranded in China and the signing of the Sino-Japanese Long-Term Comprehensive Trade Memorandum (also known as the "LT Memorandum"), which eventually led to the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations.
Since 1950, China has repeatedly stressed that the Taiwan issue is China's internal affair and that no other country has the right to interfere. Today, China continues to emphasize this point, which shows that violations of sovereignty, aggression and interference in internal affairs still exist. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence not only point to the challenges that existed in the international community after World War II, but also provide solutions that are fair and universal.
We need to combine this historical background to understand the recent Japanese political circles' suggestion that "if there is something wrong with Taiwan, there is something wrong with Japan." As mentioned above, for China, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are not an expedient measure, but a consistent long-term policy, and the Japanese government's "China threat theory" is pure nonsense.
Although some countries and forces are currently hostile to China, China is still seeking ways to coexist with it, and even expanding cooperation with countries that were previously opposed, and this foreign policy is based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Recognizing this, it is not difficult to understand why more than 150 countries have actively participated in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – with the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and jointly unveiled a new world.
Image source: China Daily
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Interns Cheng Piaoran and Li Shuyu also contributed
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