Global Security Initiative to safeguard world peace

Changes of the world, of our times and of history, are unfolding today in ways like never before, posing challenges that must be taken seriously by humanity. At this moment critical to world peace and development, President Xi Jinping made a keynote speech entitled ‘Rising to Challenges and Building a Bright Future Through Cooperation’ at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, and proposed for the first time the Global Security Initiative (GSI). This important initiative gives explicit answers to questions of our times such as what security concept the world needs and how countries can achieve common security. It fully demonstrates President Xi’s concerns for world peace and development, his internationalist vision, and his leadership as head of a major country. It contributes China’s wisdom to the efforts of mankind in tackling peace deficit, and offers China’s solution to addressing international security challenges.

I. Understanding deeply GSI’s practical significance and its values to our times: This major initiative was proposed to meet the pressing need of the international community to maintain world peace and prevent conflicts and wars. Building on the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, the GSI seeks to promote the establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. It thus offers a new approach to eliminating the root causes of international conflicts and achieving durable stability and security in the world.

This major initiative was proposed to meet the common aspirations of all countries to uphold multilateralism and international solidarity. President Xi pointed out unequivocally that the Cold War mentality would only wreck the global peace framework; hegemonism and power politics would only endanger world peace; and bloc confrontation would only exacerbate security challenges in the 21^st century. The GSI is rooted in true multilateralism. It calls upon all countries to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and reject the obsolete mentality of zero-sum game and bloc confrontation. It advocates the win-win mindset to address the complex and intertwined security challenges, and champions the spirit of solidarity to adapt to the profoundly changing international landscape. It has provided a new approach for improving global security governance. 

This major initiative was proposed to meet the shared desire of all peoples for working together to overcome difficulties and build a better world beyond the pandemic. The GSI echoes and reinforces the Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed by President Xi last year. It accords with the trend of the times featuring peace, development and win-win cooperation, and represents a coordinated approach to safeguarding traditional and non-traditional security. It aims to seek the biggest common denominator and the widest converging interests in the international community, and to provide new support for countries in boosting livelihoods and development. 

II. Inheriting and promoting the successful practices and valuable experience underpinning the GSI: The GSI takes root in New China’s independent foreign policy of peace and the practices of this policy. Over the years, as a responsible major country, China has held high the banner of peace, development and cooperation for win-win results, and made active contributions to upholding global peace and security, setting a prime example as a major country.

China keeps to its conviction about peaceful development and remains a committed builder of world peace. Since the founding of New China, the country has pursued an independent foreign policy of peace and adhered to the path of peaceful development. It never started a war, never occupied one inch of foreign land, never engaged in proxy wars, and never participated in or organized any military bloc. Among the major countries, China has the best peace and security record. At present, China remains the only country in the world that undertakes to follow a path of peaceful development in its constitution, and the only one among the five nuclear-weapon states that has pledged no-first-use of nuclear weapons. No matter how developed China becomes, it will never seek hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence, nor will it engage in arms race.

China is committed to its international responsibilities and remains a firm defender of the international order. China is the first founding member of the UN to sign on its Charter. It firmly upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and advocates respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. China has dispatched the most peacekeepers among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. It is the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget. China has taken an active part in international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes. It has signed or acceded to more than 20 multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties, including NPT and ATT. China opposes arms race and upholds global strategic stability. China has pursued cooperation to address all forms of non-traditional security challenges, and provided more than 2.1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to the international community in an active effort to bridge the “immunization gap”. China has announced its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and played its part in tackling climate change. It has launched the Global Initiative on Data Security as its proposed solution to global digital governance.

China stays committed to dialogue and consultation, and remains a steadfast mediator of hotspot issues. On Ukraine, China takes an objective and fair stance on the basis of the merits and demerits of the issue, and vigorously advise peace and encourage talks. On the Middle East, China has put forward a four-point proposal on resolving the Palestinian question and a five-point initiative on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. On the Iranian nuclear issue, China actively promotes the negotiations to resume compliance with JCPOA, and upholds the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. On the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, China remains committed to making synchronized progress in the establishment of a permanent peace mechanism and the denuclearization of the Peninsula. And it believes that the legitimate concerns of all parties should be addressed in a balanced manner. On Afghanistan, China has taken the initiative to carry out international coordination and provide humanitarian assistance, playing a constructive role for the smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan.

III. Implementing fully the major propositions and policy goals of the GSI: Visions set the course, and actions shape the future. More than proposing the GSI, China acts on this major initiative. We stand ready to work with the international community to ensure that the GSI will take root and come into fruition, so that the world will enjoy greater peace, security and prosperity.

We need to firmly uphold the authority and stature of the UN and jointly practise true multilateralism. We need to stick to the overall direction of promoting talks for peace and jointly explore political solutions to hotspot issues. We need to take a holistic approach to traditional and non-traditional security threats, and jointly improve the global security governance system. We need to strike a balance between development and security, and jointly contribute to a robust recovery of the world economy. We need to seek to build a new regional security architecture and jointly protect peace and stability in Asia.

By following the trend of history and taking the right path, one can reach high and go far. China stands ready to work with all peace-loving countries and peoples committed to development to carry out the GSI, open up a broad path toward lasting peace and universal security, and forge a strong synergy to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Let the torch of peace be passed on from generation to generation and the sound of peace echo throughout the world.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2022.

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