China always attaches high importance to and actively participates in the G20 and supports India in hosting this year’s G20 summit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday ahead of the 18th G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9-10.
During last year’s summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that a peaceful and stable international environment is the base of global development.
With this in mind, Xi said he put forward the Global Security Initiative (GSI) to “act on the principle of indivisible security, uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, advocate the resolution of conflicts through negotiation and settlement of disputes through consultation, and support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises.”
In February, China released a GSI Concept Paper, detailing its core concepts and principles on global security and peace.
China’s peace efforts
Upholding the vision of common security and striving to reduce strategic risks, China has stressed that nuclear weapons cannot be used and nuclear war must not be fought.
The international community should join hands to oppose the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, said Sun Xiaobo, director-general of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
On the Middle East, China held the second Middle East Security Forum, made a four-point proposal for fostering a new security architecture in the region, and managed to facilitate the restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March.
On the Iranian nuclear issue, China has actively promoted the resumption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of relevant countries and the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Regarding the Korean Peninsula issue, China stands for pursuing in parallel the establishment of a peace mechanism and the denuclearization of the peninsula and addressing the legitimate concerns of all parties in a balanced manner to safeguard its peace and stability.
China has actively advanced international security dialogue and exchanges, facilitating the first China-Horn of Africa peace conference among African countries in the region, which reached consensus on regional peace, development and governance and injected positive energy into the efforts to uphold Africa’s security and stability.
China also promoted exchanges and cooperation in the field of security on multiple platforms, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and East Asia cooperation mechanisms, to build consensus and synergy for tackling security challenges among the international community.
To help Afghanistan realize independent and sustainable development, China released a position paper on the Afghan issue in April, pledging to do its best to support Afghanistan with reconstruction and development, fulfill its assistance pledges and actively carry out cooperation in fields like medical care, poverty alleviation, agriculture, and disaster prevention and mitigation.
Local people and overseas Chinese queue up at the port for medical treatment during the Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark’s visit in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, August 1, 2023. /Xinhua
Local people and overseas Chinese queue up at the port for medical treatment during the Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark’s visit in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, August 1, 2023. /Xinhua
Also, the Chinese naval hospital ship “Peace Ark” has provided medical services for roughly 250,000 people from 43 countries and regions around the world since its commissioning in 2008.
The Chinese military has actively participated in peacekeeping operations, vessel protection operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, said Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, at a press conference.
In 2010, the Peace Ark received a request for help when a Bangladeshi woman suffered from a difficult delivery due to a severe heart problem. The mother and her daughter were safe at last, as China immediately sent military doctors to the hospital to perform a caesarean section. To show gratitude, the father named the baby “Chin,” which means “China” in Bengali.
‘New vision of security’
Leaders from around the world have expressed their appreciation and support for the initiative, and the GSI has been included in a number of bilateral and multilateral documents between China and other countries as well as international organizations.
The GSI is a new vision of security, based on moving away from confrontation and toward partnership, said Murad Bahadyrov, associate professor at the Department of International Relations at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy of Uzbekistan, in an interview with CGTN.
Anna Malindog-Uy, director and vice president for external affairs of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, a Manila-based think tank, told CGTN that the GSI offers a framework for global security governance that is different from Western-led approaches.
Vice Chairman of the UK’s 48 Group Club, Keith Bennett, said the GSI is based on the accommodation of the interests of all countries, emphasizing that all countries, regardless of their size and level of development, are equal members of the international community.
Every country’s internal affairs brook no external interference; their sovereignty and dignity must be respected, and their right to independently choose social systems and development paths must be upheld, according to the GSI Concept Paper.
Efforts should be made for all countries to enjoy equality in terms of rights, rules and opportunities, it added.
China has also actively participated in cooperation in the field of non-traditional security, including counter-terrorism, biosecurity, cyberspace, food and climate change. China put forward an initiative on international food security cooperation at last year’s G20 foreign ministers’ meeting.
