Seventy years ago, on June 28, 1954, Premier Zhou Enlai put forward for the first time the five principles of "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".
Over the past 70 years, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have endured over the years, rising from Asian wisdom to open, inclusive, and universally applicable basic norms governing international relations and basic principles of international law, making important historical contributions to the cause of human progress.
On June 28, 2024, the 70th anniversary of the promulgation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence was held in Beijing. President Xi Jinping attended the commemorative meeting and delivered an important speech, and Premier Li Qiang presided over the meeting. Former dignitaries from 20 countries, including Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia, representatives of international and regional organizations, envoys to China from more than 100 countries, experts and scholars, friendly personages, media and representatives of the business community attended the event.
The atmosphere of the commemorative activities was grand and rich in content. After the commemorative meeting in the morning, four parallel forums with the theme of "From the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" were held in the afternoon to build a broad consensus on building a community with a shared future for mankind. The four parallel forums focused on four themes: the value of Asian wisdom in the times, the vision and mission of the "Global South" in the face of great changes, building a prosperous world with Chinese-style modernization, and promoting global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.
In the face of major changes unseen in a century, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have radiated stronger vitality. Promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind is a historical necessity to uphold and carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence under the new situation, and gives the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence a new connotation of the times.
In the context of conflict and turbulence, the importance of "peaceful coexistence" has become prominent
At present, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, and international and regional security conflicts have become more frequent. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has entered its third year, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has also lasted for more than eight months, and there is still no solution in sight to the two conflicts in the short term. At the same time, with the intensification of strategic competition between major powers, any friction and dispute has the risk of escalating into confrontation and conflict.
In the context of the security deficit and the peace deficit, it is worth looking forward to what practical value the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence can play and what kind of global governance solutions will be provided.
The scene of the sub-forum "Promoting Global Governance with Extensive Consultation, Joint Construction and Shared Benefits" is pictured by surging news reporter Zhang Liutao
"In the current international situation, the road to peaceful coexistence is not easy." At the sub-forum on "Global Governance", former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema pointed out that national weapon systems have become more dangerous and destructive, but it is important to be aware of the risks that war poses to all of humanity.
At the same forum, scholars from the Philippines also emphasized the importance of "peaceful coexistence" in the current security situation. In recent months, the Philippine government has frequently provoked issues such as China's Scarborough Shoal and Ren'ai Jiao, and bilateral relations have been tense. This has made China-Philippines relations and the South China Sea issue a hot topic of discussion.
"In the current relationship between the Philippines and China, the concept of peaceful coexistence is even more important." Ban Leyi, president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies, said at the "Global Governance" sub-forum that there are some conflicts and frictions between the two countries, which has also caused some anxiety in neighboring countries. He then recalled that in fact, over the past millennium, China and the Philippines have been connected by the South China Sea, and the two peoples have lived in harmony and pursued mutual benefit and win-win results.
In view of the current situation in the South China Sea, he suggested that all relevant parties must exercise restraint, earnestly consider each other's important and reasonable demands, refrain from taking unilateral actions in some disputed areas, and should carry out more coordination to avoid accidental violent frictions at sea. ”
In another meeting on the afternoon of the 28th, Lambino, chairman of the Philippine Association for Chinese Understanding, also expressed concern about the current situation in the South China Sea. "In the 90s of the last century, we drove out the Americans and dismantled their naval and air bases in the Philippines," he said at the meeting. At the beginning of the 21st century, they began to build new military bases in the Philippines under the so-called U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and now the number of U.S. military bases in the Philippines has increased to nine. This is a big problem for the Philippines. ”
Focusing on the escalating tensions in the South China Sea in recent times, Lambino admits his concern about potential conflict, "There are already people in the Philippines who have begun to discuss, will there be a war in our country? I don't know, but with nine U.S. military bases, the Philippines is likely to become a battlefield...... As a Filipino, as an Asian, I don't want my country to be a battlefield. At this, Lambino choked up tears.
It is worth noting that the Philippines has recently signaled that it hopes to communicate with China on the South China Sea issue. According to the South China Morning Post on June 28, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manaro recently revealed at a Senate hearing that China and the Philippines may hold talks on the South China Sea dispute, and the Philippine side hopes that the talks can be held in July. He also said the Philippines was committed to working with China on "confidence-building measures" after a series of clashes in recent months.
The last high-level meeting between China and the Philippines was held in January this year. According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on January 17, China and the Philippines held the eighth meeting of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultative Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea issue in Shanghai. Ding Duo, deputy director of the Institute of Marine Law and Policy of the South China Sea Research Institute, said that if China and the Philippines can hold consultations on the current dispute next month, it will help to enhance mutual trust between the two countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also reminded again on June 24 that "the Philippines should stop its infringement and provocations, return to the right track of properly handling maritime differences through negotiation and consultation as soon as possible, and work with China in the same direction to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea." ”
As for how to achieve peaceful coexistence, D'Alema suggested that this requires not only the resolution of individual conflicts, but also the establishment of mechanisms for dialogue, the promotion of mutual understanding, and the increasingly important revitalization of the role of international institutions. He also mentioned in particular that the growing and rising powers need to play a greater sense of responsibility and initiative in promoting the peaceful coexistence of all countries.
What should be the relationship between competition and cooperation, economy and security?
At present, the global non-traditional security dilemma is intensifying, and many major countries overemphasize the concept of "security" and pursue unilateral security, causing damage to the interests of other countries and further leading to a widening trust deficit on a global scale. Today, the concept of "security" is being highly weaponized and politicized. Electric vehicles, new energy industries, and critical minerals are all forcibly linked to safety.
The scene map of the sub-forum "Building a Prosperous World with Chinese-style Modernization". The Paper reporter Chen Zhongshan pictured
On the afternoon of the 28th, at the sub-forum on "Building a Prosperous World with Chinese-style Modernization", a number of guests mentioned the relationship between competition and cooperation, economy and security.
Former Slovenian President Danilo Türk believes that in the context of a multipolar world, "how to balance the relationship between competition and cooperation is particularly important in restoring global cooperation through multilateralism." In his view, necessary competition is good for international trade.
Graham Allison, a professor of political science at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, pointed out that "competition must be benign." In healthy competition, both sides of the competition need to agree on some restrictions and rules. Talking about electric vehicles, Allison said, "The current restrictions on electric vehicles in China by the United States and Europe will harm their own interests." ”
Former Indonesian Foreign Minister Mardi Natalegawa stressed the need for countries to focus on the convergence of economic and political security domains, "Peace is a prerequisite for development, and development is a booster of peace." ”
Natlegawa also singled out the negative impact of trade frictions between two large or large economies on countries in the "Global South". "When economic relations are weaponized as a means for certain countries to achieve geopolitical ends, the 'Global South' becomes the victim of collateral losses." The Global South's already confronted many of its own realities and did not need the impact of geopolitical conflicts. ”
Although the leaders of many US and Western countries realize that "decoupling" from China is not in the interests of both sides and will even affect the global economic development, they still intend to curb China's industrial development through "de-risking".
In May, the Biden administration announced new tariffs on $18 billion worth of imports from China, including an increase in tariffs on electric vehicles from 25% to 100%. According to Bloomberg, on June 29, two of the largest U.S. golf cart manufacturers are also asking the government to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese-made golf carts.
On June 12, the European Commission revealed that it would impose temporary tariffs of up to 38.1% on electric vehicles imported from China after the United States announced tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The European Commission said the temporary tariffs would be introduced from July 4 if discussions with the Chinese side did not lead to an effective solution.
The British National Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently published an article pointing out that from the beginning of the Trump era to the latest tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, the US government has "left no room" for tariffs on China almost every time, and will quickly expand to almost all categories of goods, "once imposed, it will continue for several years".
Previously, a number of foreign media have worried that the tariff measures of the United States and the European Union against China will be exchanged for China's countermeasures. The proliferation of the concept of security has forced other countries to take measures to safeguard their own interests, leading to an escalation of competition among countries. Therefore, it is necessary for all countries to engage in consultation and dialogue, carry out constructive exchanges on security issues of common concern to the world, and reduce global security risks.
Allison believes that as far as China and the United States are concerned, "the meeting of the two heads of state in San Francisco is good news, and the consensus reached within the framework is constructive for the development of relations between the two countries." He further analyzed, "The complete agreement of views between the two sides is not good news, and the key is for the two countries to start dialogue and consultation." Only open communication and mature dialogue can eliminate misunderstandings. ”
Türk agrees that in all diplomatic relations, "whether it is open or private, and above all, the dialogue between the two sides needs to be continuous." ”
Speaking at the forum, Mark Trotson, President of the Europe-China Relations Promotion Association, said, "Chinese modernization has benefited the world, and we (Europe) and China can learn from each other to promote China-EU relations." Close and good economic cooperation enables countries to rely on each other, solve problems through cooperation, and achieve win-win results. ”
On June 22, German Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economy Habeck said during a visit to Shanghai that the German side believes that an open market can bring more benefits, but competition must be carried out on equal and fair conditions. "We want to have a competitive market and economy. Competition is good for everyone, and competition is a win-win situation. On the same day, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held a video meeting with the Executive Vice President of the European Commission and Trade Commissioner Dombrovskis. The two sides agreed to launch consultations on the EU's countervailing investigation of electric vehicles against China.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly responded that the EU's countervailing investigation into China's electric vehicles is a typical protectionist act. We urge the EU side to listen carefully to the objective and rational voices of all walks of life, immediately correct its wrong practices, stop politicizing economic and trade issues, properly handle economic and trade frictions through dialogue and consultation, and avoid undermining mutual trust, dialogue and cooperation between China and the EU.