Guide
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. The history of Asia-Pacific security practice has proved that the easing and resolution of the four major regional hotspot issues in Central Asia, the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea are inseparable from the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. As long as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are adhered to, security will be born; Deviating from the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence can lead to instability. The future of sustainable regional security will continue to require the support of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
Zhang Yun is an associate professor of international relations at the University of Niigata, Japan
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the promulgation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are a historic initiative in the concept of international relations, which have been recognized by the majority of countries in the world as the basic norms for handling state-to-state relations over the past 70 years, and have made important contributions to peace and security.
But at the same time, doubts about the validity of the Five Principles never seem to have gone away. Pessimists believe that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are a collection of idealistic slogans, and international political reality has repeatedly proven that security can only be maintained by strength and "balance of power." Today's world is once again at a historical crossroads of great change. Globally, from the crisis in Ukraine to the conflict in Gaza, the surge in security crises seems to have given pessimists more arguments. In their view, although there has not yet been a military conflict in the Asia-Pacific region, the deterioration of Sino-US relations and geopolitical confrontation mean that a security crisis may be imminent, and only by strengthening military deterrence can war be avoided.
The above view is a significant misunderstanding of security practices in the Asia-Pacific region. History has proved that in the practice of the four major hot spots of Central Asia, the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, as long as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are adhered to, security and peace of mind will be born. On the contrary, once the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are deviated, there will be turmoil and unrest.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency
In Central Asia, China, Russia and the countries of Central Asia have followed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence since the Cold War, and on this basis, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has been established, which has successfully brought security to the Central Asian region.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, five new independent states emerged in Central Asia, which meant that each country was under significant pressure to build nation-states. If territorial disputes, ethnic and religious issues, and other issues in the process of building a new state are not properly handled, they can easily lead to contradictions within the country and between regional countries, and even armed conflicts. Wars caused by the founding of the country are not uncommon in history.
China has developed friendly relations with Russia on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. In 1996, on the basis of the agreement reached between China and Russia, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan signed the "Agreement on Strengthening Trust in the Military Field in the Border Areas" in Shanghai. Subsequently, the "Shanghai Five" continued to sign agreements on mutual disarmament in border areas on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and gradually resolved the border issues between the countries. In June 2001, Uzbekistan joined the SCO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was formally established.
Over the past 20 years, the SCO has successfully overcome various security challenges, including the 9/11 attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, terrorism, separatism and the rise of extremism. Imagine what the strategic security environment in Central Asia and western China would be like today without the SCO? The realization of security in Central Asia is in stark contrast to the security chaos of the Islamic State in the Middle East and the Syrian civil war in the wake of the Iraq War. Behind the success of security in Central Asia is the result of the SCO's development of the "Shanghai Spirit" of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation on the basis of inheriting and developing the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and its joint practice among its member states.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency
The nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula has always been a hot-button issue for Asia-Pacific security. While progress in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue is often frustrating, we must also bear in mind that every time the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are implemented in practice, it brings a history of stability and security.
In 2003, China took the initiative to mediate the North Korean nuclear issue and established the "Six-Party Talks" mechanism, which in itself is a safe practice that follows the spirit of the Five Principles and allows all stakeholders to participate in dialogue on an equal footing on the basis of mutual respect. The September 19 Statement, issued in September 2005, is arguably the most successful multilateral political and security document on the Korean Peninsula issue to date, and is a milestone in the history of international relations in Northeast Asia. The statement itself highly embodies the five principles of peaceful coexistence, which includes four aspects: first, the mutual commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula - the statement not only indicates the DPRK's commitment to denuclearization, but also the United States confirms that there are no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention of invading the DPRK, and the ROK promises not to introduce or deploy nuclear weapons; Second, mutual commitment to respect sovereignty – the United States and North Korea pledged to respect each other's sovereignty and take steps to normalize relations; the third is to provide energy and economic assistance to the DPRK; Fourth, the six parties agreed to negotiate the establishment of lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.
The "Six-Party Talks" mechanism is an important effort to build a multilateral security mechanism in Northeast Asia, and it also proves that as long as the five principles are adhered to, especially the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty, political and diplomatic efforts on the Korean Peninsula issue can make significant progress.
Image source: China Daily
The Taiwan issue has also attracted much attention as a security hotspot in the Asia-Pacific region, and practice has also proved that whenever the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are respected and implemented, the Taiwan Strait will be calm and turbulent, on the contrary, it will be turbulent.
Both the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation have explicitly recognized Taiwan as part of China's territory in international law. In the 1972 Sino-US Shanghai Communiqué, the United States also recognized Taiwan as a part of China, which is also the political basis for China to establish diplomatic relations and exchanges with all countries. If external forces sympathize with the Taiwan independence forces out of "sharing the same democratic values", it is essentially a violation of the core concept of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which is the basic norm of state-to-state exchanges, and a challenge to sovereignty and territorial integrity.
During the Bush administration, he explicitly expressed his opposition to the "Taiwan independence" policy of the Chen Shui-bian administration. After the "Taiwan independence" forces were contained, cross-strait exchanges were expanded, and the situation in the Taiwan Strait was stabilized, all of which created positive conditions for the peaceful settlement of the Taiwan issue. On the contrary, in 2022, then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, which seriously deviated from the Five Principles, greatly increased regional tensions, undermined regional security, and aroused widespread dissatisfaction among countries in the region.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency
The South China Sea issue is essentially an issue between China and some Southeast Asian claimants. In the 90s, under the mediation of ASEAN, China and the claimants successfully managed risks. Since the beginning of the 21st century, China has put forward a foreign policy of "good-neighborliness, peace and prosperity", and has taken the initiative to make concessions, build the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, actively promote connectivity, and build a relationship of mutual trust. In 2002, China and ASEAN agreed on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
Over the past 20 years, the South China Sea issue has not affected international trade lanes, and China-ASEAN relations have developed steadily, thanks to the adherence to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. However, the U.S. involvement in the South China Sea on the grounds of "freedom of navigation" (essentially absolute freedom of navigation for warships) has complicated the issue, which in itself deviates from the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Judging from the history of China and most of its neighbors having successfully resolved territorial issues, the South China Sea issue can be resolved through consultation and negotiation between China and Southeast Asian claimants on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
The history of security practice in the Asia-Pacific region proves that as long as we remain faithful to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the commitment to peace of the Five Principles will not be absent. A sustainable and secure future in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to require the support of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
Image source: China Daily
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