China a key peaceful player in Global South

Since the global financial crisis in 2007/2008 when its economic strength became obvious due to the role it played in helping other countries to deal with the negative impact of that crisis, China has become the target of Western propaganda.

It is a public opinion offensive that seeks to depict China and the US (more generally the global West) as being in confrontation with each other. To give credence to that proposition, they interpret China's relations with the rest of the world as a devious plot to end the United States' dominant position in global affairs and eventually rule the world.

In order to scare developing countries, the strategists of the US are using the historical experiences of the former colonies. After the colonial system collapsed, the imperialist countries (US, Canada and the former colonial powers) established a neo-colonial policy which allowed them to keep control of the developing countries' economies. One of the ways they did this was by establishing institutions to trap the developing world in debt.

Capitalizing on the negative experiences that developing countries have had with the IMF and World Bank, the US strategists falsely describe China's relations with the Global South as being akin to imperialism's actual exploitative strategy.

The reality is that the People's Republic of China does not aspire to dominate the world or control other countries. It has no interest in replacing the West with imperialist intent.

Philosophically, China has been opposed to imperialism and hegemonism since the victorious Chinese revolution of 1949. It is that philosophical underpinning that enabled the Chinese leadership to propose the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which continue to be the foundation of the foreign policy of China. This opposition to imperialism and hegemonism is a constant thread running through China's foreign policy since the Five Principles were expounded 70 years ago by then Chinese premier Comrade Zhou Enlai.

China's priority is to struggle for development, and it seeks a peaceful environment in which to do so. It has made great efforts to promote an end to the conflict in Ukraine and to stop Israel's onslaught against the Palestinian people.

It has tried to help ease tensions in the Middle East. Its approach was on display recently when it became known that it had played a key role in getting Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic relations, as well as a meeting from July 21 to 23 in Beijing where the Palestinian factions signed a declaration emphasizing unity and the cessation of internal division.

Over the years, China's leaders have been able to build on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. President Xi Jinping has continued this legacy by proposing three global initiatives aimed at addressing the development, security and trust deficits that have become prominent in today's world.

These initiatives have the potential to greatly advance the building of a community with a shared future that he has proposed as a way to reduce and address common risks and challenges.

The Belt and Road Initiative has also been transforming the world since President Xi proposed its two components in 2013. For the first time, developing countries, in partnership with China, are beginning to build infrastructure that will facilitate real economic development and growth. These include such vital facilities as seaports, railways, airports, roads, cutting edge information technologies, and vital social infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, stadiums, etc. China has also made available thousands of scholarships to students of the Global South, making a great contribution to developing the human capital of poor countries.

These efforts are indispensable for countries to realize social and economic progress. The projects generate hope and optimism that the problems of abject poverty and laggardly development can be overcome.

China recognizes that there is a dialectical link between peace and socioeconomic development, which constantly interact and reinforce each other. It understands that its own development is dependent on the prosperity of other countries. Thus China is helping to enhance trade and economic progress. This is the win-win and mutually beneficial relations that China often refers to.

As early as the 1980s, Deng Xiaoping, the architect of modern China, stated that developed countries must recognize that their economic advancement is unattainable without the growth of Third World economies.

What is important to note here is that China does not seek to develop at the expense of the Global South but in cooperation with it. It does not want to dominate any country, instead it constantly seeks to build partnerships to the benefit of all concerned.

This approach to international relations is changing the world and bringing peoples of various cultures closer to each other.

The win-win approach is really creating a world of shared values with equality and friendship at the core of that policy. For that we have to recognize the enlightened and progressive leadership of China in today's world.

The author is former president of Guyana.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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