Basis for stability

Experience shows that upholding the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is the best way to resolve the security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Seven decades ago, China and India jointly put forward the five principles – mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, noninterference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence – marking a significant milestone in international relations. Over the past 70 years, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have been widely accepted and recognized by countries across the world as the basic norms governing international relations.

Today, the world stands once again at a historical crossroad. The protracted Ukraine crisis and the Gaza conflict seem to reinforce the view of the pessimists that although a military conflict has not yet broken out in the Asia-Pacific region, the escalating China-US rivalry means a security crisis could get out of control any time, and a war can be avoided only through enhanced military deterrence.

This is a major misconception about the security situation in the Asia-Pacific. Multiple examples prove that upholding the five principles leads to peace, while neglecting them invites chaos and turbulence.

In the early 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in the emergence of five Central Asian countries, each struggling to establish itself as a sovereign nation-state. Challenges such as territorial disputes, racial and religious tensions faced the newly born countries. If mishandled, these challenges could spark military conflicts within these countries or between them.

To bring stability to the region, China started to develop friendly ties with Russia. In 1996, the five countries of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed in Shanghai an agreement to enhance military trust along their border areas. Later, the "Shanghai Five" agreed to reduce stationed troops in border regions and then successfully resolved their border issues. In 2001, the "Shanghai Five" and Uzbekistan jointly established the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Over the past more than two decades, the SCO has overcome security challenges from rampant terrorism, separatism and extremism unleashed following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, and during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Imagine what Central Asia and western China would be like had the SCO not been in place? The region's stability stands in sharp contrast with the turmoil experienced in the Middle East after the Iraq War broke out, marked by the emergence of the Islamic State and a devastating civil war in Syria. The peace in Central Asia is a result of the SCO member states' commitment to the five principles, as well as the Shanghai Spirit which advocates mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of shared development.

The Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is a long-standing hotspot issue in Asia-Pacific, and the world has witnessed numerous setbacks in efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue. That being said, adhering to the five principles offers the region hopes of peace and stability.

In 2003, the Six-Party Talks was initiated under the mediation of China, which was in line with the five principles that uphold equal participation and dialogue among all stakeholders. The joint statement issued by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan on Sept 19, 2005, is perhaps the most successful multilateral political document so far on the Korean Peninsula issue, being a milestone in Northeast Asia relations.

The joint statement, being an epitome of the five principles, includes four outcome areas. First, stakeholders affirmed their commitment to denuclearizing the peninsula. According to the statement, the DPRK agreed to abandon all nuclear weapons and nuclear programs, and the US declared that it had no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and stated that it had no intention to invade the DPRK, while the ROK pledged not to introduce and deploy nuclear weapons. Second, the US and the DPRK pledged to normalize ties, respect each other's sovereignty, and exist peacefully together. Third, the other five parties undertook to give energy and economic aid to the DPRK. Fourth, the stakeholders agreed to negotiate on building lasting peace on Korean Peninsula.

The Six-Party Talks represent a significant initiative in building a multilateral security framework in Northeast Asia, and underscores the potential for solving the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogue and diplomacy as long as the five principles are followed, especially when sovereignty is respected.

The Taiwan question is another hotspot issue in the Asia-Pacific region. And history has proved that whenever the five principles are upheld, peace prevails across the Taiwan Strait.

During the George W. Bush administration, the US opposed unilateral steps by Taiwan separatists to push for the island's independence, which led to stability and increased exchanges between the two sides of the strait, creating a favorable environment for peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question.

In contrast, former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in 2022 in alleged support of "shared democratic values", was a flagrant violation of the Five Principles that advocate respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and sharply escalated regional tensions, causing widespread discontent among regional countries.

In 2002, China and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, a result of their shared commitment to the five principles. This has prevented the South China Sea issue, which in essence involves maritime disputes between China and other claimant countries in the region, from affecting international shipping in the region as well as the friendship between China and ASEAN countries.

However, the US takes "freedom of navigation" (which in essence is freedom of movement for its warships) as an excuse to interfere in the South China Sea issue, which deviates from the five principles and exacerbates the security situation in the region. That China and most of its neighbors have resolved their border disputes indicate that the South China Sea issue can be settled through dialogue and negotiations by China and other claimant states based on the Five Principles.

The history of Asia-Pacific has demonstrated that sustainable peace can be maintained so long as countries stick to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

The author is an associate professor of international relations at Niigata University in Japan and a nonresident senior fellow at the Center on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.