For a better world

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the proposal of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

In June 1954, during former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai's visits to India and Burma (now Myanmar), China issued joint statements with the two countries, respectively, announcing the five principles as the guiding norms for bilateral relations and for their respective countries' relations with other states in Asia and around the world. Once proposed, the five principles received widespread approval from many countries worldwide and gradually became fundamental norms for handling interstate relations.

Having emerged in a complex historical context, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence hold even greater value in today's world.

Aligned with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were proposed to address the complex border disputes between China and India and between China and Burma, caused by Western colonialism. Later, they served as the guidelines for countries with different historical and cultural backgrounds, social systems and national conditions to handle their interrelations.

The five principles are a condensed version of the seven basic principles of the UN Charter. Able to be universally applied, they have become the fundamental norms for maintaining international peace and security and promoting friendly relations among nations.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have made remarkable contributions to the developing countries' pursuit of independence and liberation after World War II, the maintenance of autonomy during the Cold War, the containment of hegemonic thoughts and power politics, and the promotion of fairness and justice in the international community. History has proven that the five principles transcend religions, ethnicities, systems and geographic boundaries as fundamental guidelines for international relations.

The five principles reflect sovereignty, autonomy, equality and the spirit of friendship. In an anarchic world, all international actors — states — seek to maximize their national interests. Due to the limited availability of land, resources and the natural environment, as well as the zero-sum nature of international power, it is inevitable that international actors compete, conflict and clash with each other, which often ends up in wars.

The first priority of human society should be to find out how nations can coexist, avoid war and conflict, and create a peaceful and stable international environment. The fundamental premises and purposes for this are the principle of "mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty", and the principle of "mutual nonaggression".

Based on the basic rights of independence and autonomy, developing countries which have gained national independence urgently seek autonomy to handle their own domestic and foreign affairs. The principle of "mutual noninterference in each other's internal affairs" reflects this demand.

Since modern times, Western countries have abused their technological, economic, and military advantages to invade, colonize, intervene and control many developing countries, resulting in an unjust, unequal, and irrational international order. The aim of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is to correct this with its emphasis on equality.

The five principles not only focus on preventing harm and maintaining the bottom line of international relations, but also emphasize on the building of harmonious relations among countries through "cooperation for mutual benefit".

In the context of international politics today, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are not outdated but hold even greater value and significance.

When hegemonic states, for their selfish interests in maintaining hegemonic positions, provoke great power games and push for bloc confrontations, the world suffers from division, turmoil, and even conflicts. Peace and development are facing daunting challenges.

With countries around the world either getting dragged into confrontation or facing pressure to "choose sides", their sovereignty, independence, and friendly cooperation are under threat. Given this backdrop, the world needs the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence more than ever, as the international community strives to maintain world peace, stability, and development, to establish a fair and reasonable international order, and to create a better world.

China is the initiator, defender, and practitioner of the five principles. In today's turbulent world, China firmly supports the international system with the UN at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China resolutely upholds multilateralism.

At a time when the role and status of the UN are increasingly questioned and challenged, China's firm support for the UN is invaluable. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once said that "China has been a strong buttress to the UN" and that "partnership with China is an important pillar of the UN and multilateralism".

China firmly opposes hegemony and power politics, unilateralism and protectionism, Cold War mentality and bloc confrontations, "small yards with high fences" and "decoupling", all of which pose a danger to world peace, stability and development.

As the largest trading partner of nearly two-thirds of the countries in the world, China adheres to an open and inclusive foreign policy, and pursues win-win cooperation.

China strives to safeguard the sovereignty, autonomy and development interests of all countries, especially those small and weak, daring to speak out for them. It defends international fairness and justice, and works for a more just and equitable international order. For instance, on the Palestine-Israel issue, China speaks out for the Palestinian people who suffer from injustice and are enduring a severe humanitarian disaster, and it advocates for the adoption of the two-state solution and the resolution on cease-fire.

Shouldering its responsibilities as a major country, China has proposed and implemented the Belt and Road Initiative. Underpinned by the vision to build a community with a shared future for mankind, the initiative aims to forge friendly ties and advance human progress and development. China's ideas, policies, and actions have added stability and certainty to a complex and volatile world, making China an important force for world peace, security, and stability, as well as a key contributor to growth and prosperity.

China is now on track to drive the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization. Its growth and success will bring benefits to the entire world, especially to the vast number of developing countries on their journey of modernization.

The author is deputy director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a committee member of the National Institute for Global Strategy at the CASS. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.