Xi Jinping's speech at the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Five Principles | Xi Jinping | Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence

——Speech at the meeting commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence

70 years ago, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were officially promulgated, becoming a great initiative in the history of international relations and of epoch-making significance. Today, we gather here to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the promulgation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. The purpose is to promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence under the new circumstances, work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and provide strong impetus for the progress of human civilization.

First of all, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in my own name, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the guests and friends!

In the historical process of the development of modern human society, handling relations between countries, jointly maintaining world peace and tranquility, and promoting the development and progress of all mankind have always been major issues that countries have been exploring unremittingly.

The establishment of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is the call of the times and the choice of history. After the end of World War II, national independence and liberation movements surged, and the world colonial system collapsed. At the same time, the Cold War cloud loomed over the world, and "might is right" was rampant. Newly independent countries were eager to safeguard national sovereignty and develop national economies. New China adhered to independence and actively sought peaceful coexistence with countries around the world, and worked hard to improve the external environment, especially the surrounding environment. Against this background, Chinese leaders first fully proposed the Five Principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence, and included them in the China-India and China-Myanmar joint statements, jointly advocating the establishment of the Five Principles as the basic norms guiding relations between countries.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were born in Asia and quickly spread to the world. In 1955, more than 20 Asian and African countries attended the Bandung Conference and proposed ten principles for handling relations between countries on the basis of the Five Principles, advocating the Bandung Spirit of unity, friendship and cooperation. The Non-Aligned Movement that emerged in the 1960s took the Five Principles as its guiding principles. The Declaration on Principles of International Law adopted by the 25th United Nations General Assembly in 1970 and the Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order adopted by the Sixth Special Session of the General Assembly in 1974 both explicitly adopted the Five Principles. The Five Principles have been included in a series of important international documents and have been widely recognized and followed by the international community.

Over the past 70 years, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have transcended time and space, and have become more resilient and more relevant over time. They have become open, inclusive and universally applicable basic norms of international relations and basic principles of international law, and have made an indelible historical contribution to the cause of human progress.

First, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence set a historical benchmark for international relations and international rule of law. The Five Principles fully reflect the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, conform to the trend of the times in the development of international relations, and are in line with the fundamental interests of the people of all countries in the world. At the same time, they emphasize the practical requirements of mutual and equal relations between countries, and highlight the spirit of international rule of law that unifies the rights, obligations and responsibilities of all countries. The Five Principles cover the basic norms for peaceful coexistence between countries in politics, security, economy, diplomacy and other aspects, and provide accurate, clear and effective codes of conduct for countries to practice the spirit of international rule of law and establish a correct way of getting along.

Second, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence provide correct guidance for countries with different social systems to establish and develop relations. As long as the Five Principles are followed, even countries with different social systems and ideologies, different historical cultures and religious beliefs, different levels of development and different sizes can establish and develop relations of mutual trust and friendly cooperation. The Five Principles have opened up a new path for the peaceful settlement of historical issues and international disputes between countries, transcending the outdated and narrow concepts and confrontational thinking such as "group politics" and "spheres of influence".

Third, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have brought together a powerful force for developing countries to unite, cooperate and strengthen themselves together. The Five Principles embody the profound thinking of developing countries on changing their own destiny and pursuing reform and progress. Inspired and encouraged by the Five Principles, more and more Asian, African and Latin American countries have supported each other, stood up to resist external interference, and successfully embarked on an independent development path. The Five Principles have also promoted South-South cooperation and promoted the improvement and development of North-South relations.

Fourth, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have contributed historical wisdom to the reform and improvement of the international order. The starting point of the Five Principles is to safeguard the interests and demands of weak countries in the power politics environment, and they are clear-cut against imperialism, colonialism and hegemony, and they abandon the jungle law of militarism and bullying the weak, laying an important ideological foundation for promoting the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.

After 70 years of baptism, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have become the common wealth of the international community, worthy of careful cherishing, inheritance and promotion. Here, I would like to express my deep condolences to the older generation of leaders who jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and pay high tribute to the people of insight from all countries who have long insisted on promoting the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence!

The baton of history is running forward one after another, and the cause of human progress is moving forward one step at a time in answering the questions of the times. 70 years ago, faced with the tragic catastrophe of hot wars and the division and confrontation of the Cold War, that generation gave the historical answer of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in order to maintain peace and defend sovereignty. This answer has withstood the test of the changing international situation. Not only has it not faded and become outdated, but it has also shone with a more eye-catching brilliance. Today, 70 years later, faced with the major issue of "what kind of world to build and how to build this world", China has given the answer of the times to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Now, building a community with a shared future for mankind has expanded from a Chinese initiative to an international consensus, and from a beautiful vision to a rich practice, which has effectively promoted the world to a bright prospect of peace, security, prosperity and progress.

The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are in line with each other. Both are rooted in the excellent traditional Chinese culture of loving neighbors, upholding trust, and maintaining peace and harmony among all nations. Both demonstrate the spirit of China's diplomacy of self-confidence and independence, upholding justice, and helping the weak and promoting the good. Both embody the world spirit of the Chinese Communists to make new and greater contributions to mankind. Both show China's firm determination to adhere to the path of peaceful development. They are the best inheritance, promotion and sublimation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence under the new circumstances.

This concept is based on the objective reality that the destinies of countries are intertwined and they share weal and woe, and has set a new model of equality and coexistence. China advocates that all countries, regardless of size, strength, poverty or wealth, are equal members of the international community, share interests, rights and responsibilities in international affairs, and work together to meet challenges and achieve common prosperity, build a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, cleanliness and beauty, and promote a safer and more prosperous peaceful coexistence in human society.

This concept conforms to the trend of the times of peace, development, cooperation and win-win, and opens up a new realm of peace and progress. China calls on all parties to take the future of mankind and the well-being of the people into consideration, adhere to the original intention of equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence, promote the common values ​​of all mankind, promote global governance of consultation, joint construction and sharing, build a new type of international relations, implement global development initiatives, global security initiatives and global civilization initiatives, build the "Belt and Road" with high quality, and enhance the common interests of people of all countries.

This concept focuses on the historical trend of world multipolarization and economic globalization, and enriches the new practice of development and security. China unites all parties to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, making a historical leap from bilateral to multilateral, from regional to global, from development to security, and from cooperation to governance. It has effectively led and promoted an equal and orderly world multipolarization and inclusive economic globalization, bringing a peaceful and stable prospect to the international community and increasing the well-being of prosperity and development for people of all countries.

Looking back at the past and looking forward to the future at this critical moment in history, we will never stop exploring human civilization and will never stop working to build a better world. No matter how the world develops, it cannot change the basic fact that there is only one Earth in the universe and mankind has only one home. We must cherish and protect the Earth with a spirit of global solidarity and leave a paradise for future generations.

The future is worth looking forward to, and challenges must be met. Faced with the historical choice of peace or war, prosperity or recession, unity or confrontation, we need to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence more than ever before and work tirelessly towards the lofty goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

- We must uphold the principle of sovereign equality. The essence of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is that all countries are sovereignly equal. On this basis, we should promote equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules for all countries. We should not allow the big to oppress the small, the strong to bully the weak, or the rich to bully the poor. To advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world is to ensure that all countries can find their own place in the multipolar system, play their due role under the premise of abiding by international law, and ensure that the process of world multipolarization is generally stable and constructive.

- We must consolidate the foundation of mutual respect. When dealing with each other, countries must first put equality, mutual respect and mutual trust first. We must respect the different historical and cultural traditions and development stages of various countries, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and respect the development paths and institutional models independently chosen by the people of all countries. We must jointly uphold the "golden rule" of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, jointly oppose imposing one's will on others, oppose camp confrontation and various "small circles", and oppose forcing other countries to take sides.

——We want to realize the vision of peace and security. History and reality tell us that all countries must share the responsibility of maintaining peace, follow the path of peaceful development, and jointly seek, protect and share peace. In today's world of interdependence among countries, it is not feasible to pursue so-called absolute security or exclusive security. The global security initiative proposed by China advocates the practice of a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, promotes development and security through cooperation, and builds a more balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture.

——We need to gather the power to build prosperity together. There is an old Chinese saying, "The benevolent love others, and the wise benefit others." There is also a philosophical saying in Latin America, "Only when you benefit the world can you benefit your own country." There is an Arabic proverb that says, "When people are united, the flames are dense; when people are scattered, the fire cannot burn." In the era of economic globalization, what is needed is not to create a divide, but to build a bridge of communication; not to raise an iron curtain of confrontation, but to pave a smooth road for cooperation. We advocate inclusive economic globalization, promote high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and implement global development initiatives. The purpose is to achieve inclusive growth opportunities, promote inclusive development paths, let people of all countries share the fruits of development, let countries in the "global village" seek development and prosperity together, and make the concept of win-win a consensus.

——We must uphold the concept of fairness and justice. Without fairness and justice, power politics will run rampant and the law of the jungle will prevail. In the face of new situations and new challenges, the authority and core position of the United Nations can only be strengthened, not weakened. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter have never been outdated, but have become more important. To advocate the concept of global governance of consultation, joint construction and sharing and to practice true multilateralism is to insist that international rules be jointly written and maintained by all countries. The affairs of the world should be handled by all countries through consultation, and we cannot allow whoever has the "bigger arm" to listen to whoever.

——We must demonstrate an open and inclusive mind. All countries in the world are like riding on the same ship with a shared destiny. This ship carries not only the expectation of peace, economic prosperity, and scientific and technological progress, but also the dream of civilizational diversity and sustainable development of mankind. In history, diverse civilizations have met and achieved each other, jointly promoted the great development and prosperity of human society, and written a brilliant chapter of sharing the beauty and mutual exchange and mutual learning. China's proposal of the Global Civilization Initiative is aimed at promoting mutual understanding and friendship among people of all countries and promoting tolerance and mutual learning among various civilizations. This world can fully accommodate the common development and progress of all countries. Different civilizations can fully absorb and complement each other in equal treatment and mutual learning.

The development of history over the past 70 years has repeatedly proved that strengthening unity and cooperation and enhancing communication and understanding are effective ways for countries to jointly meet challenges and create a better future. Looking around the world, the "Global South" has grown in strength and played a vital role in promoting human progress. Standing at a new historical starting point, the "Global South" should work together with a more open and inclusive attitude and take the lead in promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

We should jointly serve as a stabilizing force for peace, promote the peaceful settlement of differences and disputes among countries, and constructively participate in the political settlement of international and regional hot-spot issues; jointly serve as a backbone force for open development, push for development to return to the center of the international agenda, revitalize the global development partnership, and deepen South-South cooperation and North-South dialogue; jointly serve as a constructive force for global governance, actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system, strive to expand the common interests of all parties, and promote a more balanced and effective global governance architecture; jointly serve as a promoting force for mutual learning among civilizations, enhance communication and dialogue among different civilizations in the world, strengthen exchanges on state governance, and deepen exchanges in education, science and technology, culture, local, non-governmental and youth fields.

To better support cooperation in the Global South, China will set up a Global South Research Center, provide 1,000 "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Excellence Scholarships" and 100,000 training opportunities to countries in the Global South in the next five years, and launch the Global South Young Leaders Program. China will continue to make good use of the China-UN Peace and Development Fund, the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and the South-South Cooperation Fund for Climate Change, and jointly establish a trilateral cooperation demonstration center for implementing global development initiatives with relevant parties to support the economic development of countries in the Global South. China will continue to set up the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Fund in the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and increase its donation of RMB equivalent to US$10 million to support agricultural development in the Global South. China is willing to negotiate free trade arrangements with more countries in the Global South, continue to support the Aid for Trade Initiative launched by the World Trade Organization and continue to invest in "China Projects", and welcome more countries in the Global South to join the Framework Initiative for International Economic and Trade Cooperation on Digital Economy and Green Development. From now until 2030, China's cumulative imports from developing countries are expected to exceed US$8 trillion.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have long been included in the Chinese Constitution and have become the cornerstone of China's independent and peaceful foreign policy. At present, China is comprehensively promoting the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization. On the new journey, China will continue to promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, work with other countries to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and make new and greater contributions to maintaining world peace and promoting common development.

China's determination to pursue a path of peaceful development will not change. We will never follow the old path of colonial plunder, nor the crooked path of hegemony when a country becomes strong. Instead, we will follow the righteous path of peaceful development. On issues of peace and security, China is a major country with the best record in the world. We strive to explore solutions to hot issues with Chinese characteristics, and play a constructive role in the Ukrainian crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and issues involving the Korean Peninsula, Iran, Myanmar, Afghanistan, etc. Every increase in China's strength brings a greater hope for world peace.

China's determination to cooperate with other countries in friendship will not change. We actively expand an equal, open and cooperative global partnership and are committed to expanding the convergence of interests with all countries. China promotes coordination and benign interaction among major powers and promotes the establishment of a pattern of major power relations with peaceful coexistence, overall stability and balanced development. China adheres to the concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and the neighborhood diplomacy policy of being friendly and partnering with neighbors, and deepens friendship, mutual trust and integration of interests with neighboring countries. China adheres to the concept of real amity, sincerity and correct views on justice and interests to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with developing countries and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. China practices true multilateralism and actively participates in the reform and improvement of the global governance system.

China's determination to promote common development in the world will not change. China's high-quality economic development provides strong impetus for world economic growth. The overall modernization of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people means the formation of a huge market that exceeds the total size of existing developed countries. China's door to opening up will only open wider and wider and will never be closed. We are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in an all-round way, continue to expand institutional opening-up, and form a more market-oriented, rule-of-law and internationalized business environment. "Small courtyards with high walls" and "decoupling and breaking chains" are against the historical trend and will only harm the common interests of the international community.

"The road of history is not always smooth. Sometimes we encounter difficulties and obstacles, which can only be overcome with a strong spirit." This is what the pioneers of the Chinese revolution said 100 years ago. Today, the baton of promoting the cause of peace and development of mankind has historically fallen into the hands of our generation. Let us take the 70th anniversary of the publication of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as a starting point, shoulder the historical mission, and move forward hand in hand to jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and create a better future for human society!