ɣ졡ȣIt's All Over
l(f)r(sh)g:2020-03-27 (li)Դ: ժ c(din)
SEED OF HARMONY: Leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries plant a tree to wish the success of their summit in Shanghai in June. During the session, Chinese President Hu Jintao elaborated on his idea of building a harmonious Asia, a notion widely agreed upon by his counterparts
As a responsible big country, China has long applied the concept of building a harmonious world to its foreign policy. Wang Yusheng, Chinas former senior official to APEC, and Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, share their views on this vision.
Wang Yusheng: Big nations have a role to play
This June, when Chinese President Hu Jintao elaborated on his idea of building a harmonious Asia at the summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, the world once again heard how Chinas foreign policy is one that revolves around peace. However, to construct a harmonious world is not something that can be completed in one or two generations. The process is bound to be full of contradictions and conflicts.
Major countries of the world, especially permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, have leading roles to safeguard the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter. Practically, the countries should share the responsibilities through mutual understanding. The Security Council is the only decision-making body to solve world security problems, not any single superpower. This could be of great significance to a harmonious world. If we could handle this well, generally speaking, other issues will be much easier to deal with. Of course, that is not to say the big nations have the privilege to jointly supervise the world, but rather to emphasize their irreplaceable roles and unavoidable responsibilities to secure world peace and common development. Yet, its still far from enough. Meanwhile, we should address the issue in the following aspects:
First, based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, every nation enjoys equal rights. Differences should not be bridged and a member should not be discriminated against by drawing lines on ideologies, social and economic systems or foreign policies. Second, democracy in international relations should be vigorously promoted in establishing a more fair and equitable international order, in which cooperative partnerships and mutual non-interference in each others internal affairs are advocated. Third, various development modes of different nations are equally respected. It is acknowledged that every country has the right to choose its own path in development. We can learn from each others experiences but never enforce one pattern on all. Fourth, bilateral trade should be mutually beneficial to both sides. The prosperity of developed countries cannot be generated from the exploitation of the least developed ones. The emerging powers are going through many improvements. Those developed countries should discard double standards and give full play to trade and investment liberalization. Moreover, the basic prerequisite for a harmonious world is an open mind. With various traditions and civilizations contained, a world value concept cannot be ruled by one dominating idea. We share everything in common, and we respect anything of value. We accept customs of other peoples, and enrich its contents by providing our own. It might sound unrealistic initially, but it is the call of the times and the desire of the people. For the progress of the human race, we should take on the challenges ahead.
Zhou Yongsheng: Integration in a harmonious world
Human progress has entered the stage of globalization. As the worlds population grows, and science and technology as well as productive forces improve, frequent exchanges among world members are commonly seen today.
In this case, it is detrimental and even devastating to the whole world if different nations, races and nature cannot live in harmony.
The swift globalization complicates international relations, resulting in diversified phenomena, from alliance to conflict and even hostility.
In the course of economic globalization, China highlights the principle of a harmonious world in view of two reasons. On one hand, vicious and evil things such as poverty, war, violence, racism, nationalism, terrorism, hegemonism and power politics still plague our modern society.
On the other, aside from the interrelationship of the human race, mankind and nature are not always in tune in relation to development. Frequent natural disasters and rampant infections caused by severe environmental pollution threaten the harmonious and peaceful life of people. Even worse, these threats are spreading and expanding daily.
How to take up the challenges brought about by globalization is the latest subject of international relations. Having experienced the tragedy of conflict, it is imperative to foster a new security concept of mutual trust, coordination and cooperation. The theory of a harmonious world is in a sense the social philosophy of our time.
P(gun)~Harmony ɣȣ it+ s+all+you it s+all
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