By Han Zhiqiang

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic 

of China to the Kingdom of Thailand

On April 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2022, and put forward the Global Security Initiative for the first time. 

President Xi Jinping stressed, we humanity are living in an indivisible security community. It is important that we stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security; stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter; stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously; stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation; stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains. The Global Security Initiative responds to the urgent needs of the international community to safeguard world peace and prevent conflicts and wars. It is another important international public good provided by China to meet international security challenges.

East Asia has maintained overall stability and sustained and rapid economic development in the past few decades. It is known as an oasis of world peaceful development. This is due to the fact that all countries in the region uphold the wisdom of Asia, respect each other, pursue harmony and coexistence, seek common ground while reserving differences and properly handle differences, and take the lead in practicing the basic concept of the Global Security Initiative. In a world that is not so peaceful, "East Asian oasis" is worth cherishing, and the wisdom and efforts of East Asian countries for peaceful development are worth cherishing.

As human history moves into the third decade of the 21st century, the world faces both opportunities for peaceful development and prominent security risks and challenges. The pandemic has seriously affected human health and economic and social life. Many countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are still suffering from the trauma of war. Recently, there has been another smoke of war in Europe. What is particularly worrying is that the evil forces that stir up unrest and conflicts around the world are extending their claws to East Asia in an attempt to promote containment and confrontation in the region. The Ukraine crisis reminds us once again that we must be highly vigilant and guard against this dangerous trend. We must not allow the hard won prosperity and stability in East Asia to be damaged, and the "East Asian oasis" to become a new source of global turbulence.

Facing the new situation and challenges, countries in the region should work together to actively implement the Global Security Initiative and protect the common home of peaceful development in East Asia.

We should resolutely resist "zero sum game" and "cold war mentality", take a clear-cut stand against group politics and bloc confrontation, firmly grasp the destiny in our own hands, and do not allow any extraterritorial forces to create division and tension in the region.

We should vigorously carry forward the wisdom of Asia, accommodate the diversity of social systems, development stages and cultural traditions of Asian countries, respect and understand each other, be united and inclusive, and not give any extraterritorial forces the opportunity to sow discord, intervene in regional peace and stability and sacrifice small and medium-sized countries.

We should carry forward The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the "Bandung Spirit" and follow a policy of good-neighborliness and friendship, continue to cement ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture, deepen regional and subregional security cooperation, and jointly build an East Asian security model of mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness.

We should accommodate development and security and focus on regional mutually beneficial cooperation, stay committed to the building of an open world economy, maintain the stability and smoothness of Asian and global industrial chains and supply chains, jointly promote strong economic recovery, accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and promote sustainable security through sustainable development.

China and Thailand enjoy a history of friendly exchanges for thousands of years. We are good neighbors of peaceful coexistence, good brothers sharing weal and woe and good partners of mutual trust and cooperation. Over the past 47 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, under the care and guidance of the leaders of both sides, China-Thailand relations have withstood the test of international and regional changes, maintained healthy and stable development, and increasingly become a model of friendly cooperation between neighboring countries of different social systems. The accumulated experience of our two countries will not only lay a solid foundation for the peaceful development of China-Thailand relations in the future, but also provide a useful reference for countries to peacefully coexist and implement the Global Security Initiative.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Thailand. Standing at a new historical starting point, China is willing to work with Thailand to continue to enhance strategic mutual trust, deepen win-win cooperation, and strengthen communication and coordination, so as to make greater contributions to jointly building a home for peaceful development in East Asia.