On the morning of June 28, 2024, the 70th anniversary of the promulgation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. President Xi Jinping attended the commemorative meeting and delivered an important speech. In his speech, President Xi Jinping emphasized:
"The establishment of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is the call of the times and the choice of history. After the end of the Second World War, national independence and liberation movements surged, and the world colonial system collapsed. At the same time, the dark clouds of the Cold War are looming over the world, and 'might makes right' very loud. The newly independent new country is eager to safeguard its national sovereignty and develop its national economy. New China adheres to independence and self-determination, actively seeks peaceful coexistence with all countries in the world, and strives to improve the external environment, especially the surrounding environment. Against this backdrop, for the first time, the Chinese leader put forward 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, and included them in the China-India and China-Myanmar Joint Statements, jointly advocating the establishment of the five principles as the basic norms guiding inter-state relations. ”
Looking back at the history of the birth of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, we will understand how precious this principle was in the international environment of the 50s of the 20 th century.
Peace and coexistence are not the norm, war and threats are
Today, when we look at the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, it is natural to think that they are the basic norms between countries, but this was not the case in the era in which they were born. If we go back to the turn of the forties and fifties of the twentieth century, and look at the world from the perspective of those people, we will find that there was no peace in that world, and that coexistence between nations was only an expedient measure.
In the first half of the 20 th century, mankind experienced two world wars in a short period of 30 years, and they were all battles of national strength. At this time, the leaders of the world politics were mainly politicians and military strategists who had lived through two wars, and many believed that peace would not last long.
In 1949, the U.S. military formulated a war plan called "Operation Smash the Ball" -- assuming the outbreak of World War III in 1957, the Air Force would be dispatched to use 300 nuclear bombs and nearly 30,000 high-explosive bombs against 200 targets in 100 cities and towns in the Soviet Union, destroying 85% of the Soviet Union's industrial potential with a single strike.
In January 1954, just five months before the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were enshrined in the Sino-Indian and China-Burmese Joint Declarations, US Secretary of State Dulles put forward the famous "policy of large-scale retaliation" in a speech delivered by the Foreign Policy Association in New York, calling for "fighting a war chosen by the United States with the weapons chosen by the United States and in places chosen by the United States," as well as a series of non-war means such as political warfare, psychological warfare, and propaganda warfare to promote the peaceful evolution of socialist countries. directly poses a naked existential threat to his former allies. In the same year, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev famously shouted "We will bury you" on a diplomatic occasion, and the possible scene of the Soviet Union's steel torrent flooding Central and Western Europe and drinking the Atlantic Ocean became a lingering shadow in the hearts of the leaders of Britain, France, West Germany, and the United States.
In the face of existential pressures, the Soviet Union and the United States gradually formed two opposing camps. In 1947, U.S. President Harry Truman read the State of the Union address, later known as the "Truman Doctrine," at a joint session of the House and Senate, which stated:
"At the present stage of world history, almost every nation must choose one of two ways of life. Most of these choices are not free choices. ”
Under this heavy pressure, the newly established People's Republic of China in 1949 naturally chose the Soviet socialist camp and adopted a strategy of distancing itself from the American capitalist camp that supported the Kuomintang regime, which was the "one-sided" foreign policy of the early years of the new China.
If history continues along this line, we don't know when peaceful coexistence between nations will come. However, from the beginning of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the situation has quietly changed.
Make more friends, not allies
The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea shattered the myth of the invincibility of the US military and also hurt the United States. The United States has used almost all modern weapons except the atomic bomb and has still been unable to win, so it has begun to adjust its China policy.
On April 11, 1951, U.S. President Harry S. Truman removed Douglas MacArthur, commander-in-chief of the United Nations Forces, from his post because policy differences could not be bridged. But MacArthur was so popular that he was on the verge of winning the White House and running for president, and Truman's dismissal of him forced him to follow the example of his predecessor Roosevelt and explain his reasons for his decision in a speech to the people of the United States. There was not much mention of China in this speech, but it vividly showed the tangle of the US government:
"You may be asking why we can't do anything else to punish the 'aggressor'. Why don't we bomb the Northeast or even the whole of China? Why don't we support the Kuomintang army's counteroffensive against Chinese mainland? If we do, we will face a very serious danger of general war. ”
Americans are arrogant. Their reluctance to get involved in an all-out war with China is not because of a conscience, but because the Korean battlefield has taught them a lesson that they cannot afford the casualties of an all-out war against China. Therefore, for a period of time after the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the United States deepened its hostility towards China, but it did a good job of controlling its behavior, trying its best to restrain itself and its allies and not directly provoking China's interests.
The affairs of the United States are not on the table. On the Soviet side, although large-scale assistance was provided to China in 1953, after the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the differences in interests between China and the Soviet Union gradually became apparent. New China has always adhered to diplomatic independence and self-determination, and leaning to the socialist camp does not mean that it will listen to the Soviet Union in everything. China is starting to make more friends internationally, especially those who are not allies. Chinese love peace, there is no need to make a friend, you have to dance a knife and a gun, chatting and drinking tea is the norm.
Looking around, India was a good friend at that time. India's ideology is more complex, and the country, which was independent in 1947, adheres to a policy of non-alignment and has always maintained good relations with both socialist and capitalist camps. In particular, India, which had just gained independence from the British colonial system, was not hostile to socialism, and later even defined itself in the constitution as a "socialist, secular democratic republic with independent sovereignty"; Nor hostile to China, as early as April 1, 1950, that is, within half a year after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the two countries formally established diplomatic relations. The two sides were only friends and not allied, maintaining friendship with each other without bearing the obligations of the alliance, and not being dragged into the water because the other side wanted to fight.
Another purpose of making friends with India is to reduce the pressure on Tibet's border defenses. India shares a border with the Tibet Autonomous Region on the mainland, which was used as a base for invasions of Tibet during the British rule of India. At that time, Tibet had just been peacefully liberated, and the old Tibetan aristocracy still had great power, and China did not want India to interfere in Tibetan affairs.
At the end of 1953, Premier and Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai made the following remarks when meeting with a delegation of the Indian government:
"Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the principles for handling Sino-Indian relations have been established, that is, mutual respect for territorial sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. There will certainly be certain issues between the two great powers, especially between the two bordering powers like China and India, and as long as these principles are followed, any mature and unresolved issues can be brought up and discussed. ”
Premier Zhou's remarks received a positive response from the Indian side. On April 29, 1954, China issued a communiqué on negotiations and signed the Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of India on Trade and Communications between the Tibetan Region of China and India.
At the time when China issued the communique on the negotiations, the Geneva Conference was being held to discuss the peaceful settlement of the Korean issue and the restoration of peace in Indochina. On 25 June, after the meeting was adjourned to discuss the DPRK issue, Premier Zhou took the time to visit India and Myanmar on 28 and 29 June, and issued a joint statement with the prime ministers of China and India and Myanmar respectively, announcing that the five principles should be used as the basic norms guiding mutual relations and the relations between their respective countries and other countries in Asia and the world. Since then, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have officially appeared on the international stage, and June 28 is also regarded as the anniversary of the principles.
Asian, African and Latin American countries have agreed one after another
In the Cold War era, when the two camps filled the world with tension, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were undoubtedly a clear stream. The members of the two camps are trampling around, and signing an alliance means that they are ready to get involved in a possible military conflict at any time, and this is even more rare when the feeling of peace of making friends without forming an alliance is even more rare.
It also provided new ideas for the vast number of new countries that became independent from the colonies. There are two teams in the world, but the newly independent countries do not have to join one of them, and it is also a good choice to maintain friendly relations with both sides at the same time and ensure that they do not go to war. In 1955, the first and only Asian-African Conference was held in Bandung, Indonesia, and Premier Zhou once again mentioned the five principles, which were recognized by the participating countries. In the Final Communiqué of the Asian-African Conference, adopted by the delegates of the nascent Asian and African countries, it was expressed as follows:
"States shall, on the basis of the following principles, be tolerant, live in peace and develop friendly cooperation among themselves, on the basis of the following principles, in the dispel of mistrust and fear, and in trust and goodwill with one another:
1. Respect for fundamental human rights and respect for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
2. Respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.
3. Recognize the equality of all races and all nations, large and small.
4. Non-interference or interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
5. Respect for the right of every State to self-defence, individually or collectively, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
(a) Do not use collective defence arrangements to serve the special interests of any one major power.
No country exerts pressure on other countries.
No act or threat of aggression or the use of force shall be used to infringe upon the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.
To settle all international disputes by peaceful means, such as negotiation, mediation, arbitration or judicial settlement, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, and by any other peaceful means of the parties' own choosing.
9. Promote mutual interests and cooperation.
10. Respect justice and international obligations. ”
Although the name of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is not used here, the content of which is written, and this is the contribution of Chinese wisdom to world diplomacy. In September 1961, the first summit of non-aligned countries was held in Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, attended by representatives of 25 countries, which also took the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the foundation and guiding principle.
In subsequent diplomatic practice, China has expanded the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence into several versions according to different partners. From the end of 1963 to the beginning of 1964, Premier Zhou visited many countries in Asia and Africa and put forward five principles for relations with Arab and African countries, including:
support for the struggle of the peoples of Africa and Arab countries against imperialism and colonialism, old and new, and for the preservation of national independence;
supporting African and Arab governments in pursuing a policy of peace and neutrality and non-alignment;
Supporting the aspirations of the peoples of Africa and the Arab States to achieve unity and unity in the manner of their choice;
support for African and Arab countries in resolving their disputes through peaceful consultations;
He advocated that the sovereignty of African and Arab countries should be respected by all other countries and opposed encroachment and interference from any quarter.
Since then, China's circle of friends has continued to expand, and it has established diplomatic relations with Chile, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago in Latin America, Venezuela, Brazil and other countries, as well as with Western countries such as France, Canada, Italy, the United States, and Japan.
It can be said that in the course of New China's diplomacy over the past 70 -odd years, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have always been the basic principles of China's diplomacy and the basic norms for dealing with China and its neighboring countries.
The Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in Accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, adopted by the 25th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1970, and the Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order adopted by the 6th special session of the General Assembly in 1974, both explicitly included the five principles of peaceful coexistence. UN Under-Secretary-General Suarez even praised him: "The five principles embody the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and are a good way to resolve international problems." ”
Over the past 70 years, China has always been an active advocate and staunch practitioner of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. "The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have long been enshrined in China's Constitution and have become the cornerstone of China's independent foreign policy of peace." To this day, "peace" is still a very precious word and the greatest aspiration of the people of all countries. In the complex international situation, emphasizing the five principles of peaceful coexistence of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs is a major contribution made by China to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. In the future, China will work with all parties in the world to uphold and carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, shoulder the responsibilities of the times, work together to address challenges, make unremitting efforts towards the lofty goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and push the world towards a better and brighter tomorrow.