I. The International Security Situation
Peace and development are the major themes of the present era. The
striving for peace and cooperation, and the promotion of development have
become irresistible historical trends.
In general, the present international security situation has continued to
tend toward relaxation. With the end of the cold war, a tendency toward
multipolarity has further developed both globally or regionally in the
political, economic and other fields as various world forces are
experiencing new splits and realignments. The relations among the major
powers are undergoing significant and profound readjustments; various
kinds of partnerships are gradually developing along the line of
institutionalization; and each country is enhancing its consciousness of
independence, unity for strength, and coordinated development. The
overall strength of the developing countries is growing, and they are
becoming an important force on the international stage. The sustained
development of the multipolarity tendency and economic globalization has
further deepened their mutual reliance and mutual condition and helped
toward world peace, stability and prosperity. The factors for
safeguarding world peace are growing constantly.
The influence of armed conflicts and local wars on the overall
international situation has been remarkably weakened. In the past, when
the two major military blocs confronted each other, armed conflicts and
local wars in some regions seriously disturbed world security and
stability. For a time in the post-cold war period, regional conflicts
were still frequent, even showing a trend of escalation. In the past few
years, however, some conflicts and wars that had lasted for many years
have been settled, and some are being put on the track of political
settlement, or are gradually being cooled down. At present, armed
conflicts and local wars touched off by disputes about territory, natural
resources, ethnicity or religion are relatively limited in terms of
scale, intensity and region, and are under control to varying degrees.
The international community is making more and more efforts to mediate
such disputes, with its capability to do so improving constantly.
Military factors still occupy an important position in state security. In
the new international security environment, while stressing the
settlement of disputes through political, economic and diplomatic means,
most countries still regard military means and the reinforcement of
military strength as important ways to safeguard their own security and
national interests. A profound reform in the military field led by the
development of high-tech weapons is taking place throughout the world.
This reform, which is developing rapidly, will exert an important and
profound influence on weaponry, military system and setup, combat
training and military theory. To adapt to the new situation and strive
for their own advantages, many countries have readjusted their defense
policies and military strategies, reduced the scale of armaments and paid
more attention to improving the quality of their armed forces.
Economic security is becoming daily more important for state security. In
international relations, geopolitical, military security and ideological
factors still play a role that cannot be ignored, but the role of
economic factors is becoming more outstanding, along with growing
economic contacts among nations. The competition to excel in overall
national strength, focused on economy and science and technology, is
being further intensified; globewide struggles centered on markets,
natural resources and other economic rights and interests are daily
becoming sharper; and the quickening of economic globalization and
intensification of the formation of regional blocs render the economic
development of a country more vulnerable to outside influences and
impacts. Therefore, more and more countries regard economic security as
an important aspect of state security. The financial crisis in Asia has
made the issue of economic security more prominent, and has set a new
task for governments of all countries to strengthen coordination and face
challenges together in the course of economic globalization.
The political security situation in the Asia-Pacific region is relatively
stable. The development of the trend toward multipolarity in this region
is being quickened, and the relations among the big nations are being
readjusted strategically and gradually becoming stable. Despite the
emergence of a nancial crisis in Asia, the Asia-Pacific region remains
one of the areas with the greatest economic development vitality in the
world, and developing the economy is the most important task for each
country. The countries in the Asia-Pacific region rely more and more on
each other economically, and, to solve their disputes by peaceful means,
to stress the search for the meeting points of their common interests and
to strengthen cooperation and coordination are becoming the main current
of the relations among the countries of the region. Various forms of
regional and sub-regional multilateral cooperation are constantly being
developed, and security dialogues and cooperation are being carried out
at many levels and through many channels.
However, there still exist some factors of instability both globally and
regionally: Hegemonism and power politics remain the main source of
threats to world peace and stability; cold war mentality and its
influence still have a certain currency, and the enlargement of military
blocs and the strengthening of military alliances have added factors of
instability to international security; some countries, by relying on
their military advantages, pose military threats to other countries, even
resorting to armed intervention; the old unfair and irrational
international economic order still damages the interests of developing
countries; local conflicts caused by ethnic, religious, territorial,
natural resources and other factors arise now and then, and questions
left over by history among countries remain unsolved; terrorism, arms
proliferation, smuggling and trafficking in narcotics, environmental
pollution, waves of refugees, and other transnational issues also pose
new threats to international security.
In May 1998, in defiance of strong opposition by the international
community India flagrantly carried out nuclear tests, thus provoking a
nuclear arms race in South Asia. Then Pakistan followed suit, in response
to India's nuclear tests. The nuclear tests successively conducted by
India and Pakistan have seriously impeded the international non-nuclear
arms proliferation efforts and produced grave consequences on peace and
stability in the South Asian region and the rest of the world. The task
for the international community to strengthen non-proliferation
mechanisms has become even more pressing now.
History has proved that the concepts and systems of security with
military alliances as the basis and increasing military might as the
means could not be conducive to peace during the cold war. Under the new
situation, especially, enlarging military blocs and strengthening
military alliances run counter to the tide of the times. Security cannot
be guaranteed by an increase in arms, nor by military alliances. Security
should be based on mutual trust and common interests. We should promote
trust through dialogue, seek security through cooperation, respect each
other's sovereignty, solve disputes through peaceful means and strive for
common development. To obtain lasting peace, it is imperative to abandon
the cold war mentality, cultivate a new concept of security and seek a
new way to safeguard peace. China believes that this new concept and way
should include the following:
-- The relations among nations should be established on the basis of the
Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: mutual respect for territorial
integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in
each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful
coexistence. These are the political basis and premise of global and
regional security. Each country has the right to choose its own social
system, development strategy and way of life, and no country should
interfere in the internal affairs of any other country in any way or
under any pretext, much less resort to military threats or aggression.
-- In the economic field, all countries should strengthen mutually
beneficial cooperation, open up to each other, eliminate inequalities and
discriminatory policies in economic and trade relations, gradually reduce
the development gaps between countries and seek common prosperity. Such
steps can form the economic basis of global and regional security.
Maintaining a normal and sound economic, trade and financial order calls
for not only a perfect macro-economic management system as well as a
sound system of economic operations, it also calls for strengthening
regional and international economic contacts and cooperation, so as to
jointly create a stable and secure external economic environment.
-- All countries should promote mutual understanding and trust through
dialogue and cooperation, and seek the settlement of divergences and
disputes among nations through peaceful means. These are the realistic
ways to guarantee peace and security. Security is mutual, and security
dialogues and cooperation should be aimed at promoting trust, not at
creating confrontations, still less at directing the spearhead against a
third country or infringing upon the security interests of any other
nation.
As a country in the Asia-Pacific region, China places great importance on
the region's security, stability, peace and development. China's
Asia-Pacific security strategy has three objectives, i.e., China's own
stability and prosperity, peace and stability in its surrounding regions,
and conducting dialogue and cooperation with all countries in the
Asia-Pacific region. Hence China devotes its efforts to promoting equal
treatment and friendly cooperation with other countries, and attaches
importance to developing healthy and stable relations with all countries
and all major forces in the region; actively participates in regional
economic cooperation and promotes an open type of regionalism; insists on
handling and settling disputes among countries through peaceful means;
and takes an active part in the dialogue and cooperation process aimed at
regional security.
On the basis of equal consultation, mutual understanding and mutual
accommodation, China has solved in an appropriate manner border issues
with most of its neighbors. As for remaining disputes on territorial and
marine rights and interests between China and neighboring countries,
China maintains that they are to be solved through consultation by
putting the interests of the whole above everything else, so that the
disputes will not hamper the normal development of state relations or the
stability of the region. China has clearly stated that relevant disputes
should be properly solved through peaceful negotiation and consultation,
in accordance with commonly accepted international laws and modern
maritime laws, including the basic principles and legal systems as
prescribed in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory. It is a lofty mission
and a common aspiration of all Chinese people, including the Taiwan
compatriots, to put an end to the cleavage between the two sides of the
Taiwan Straits and realize the reunification of the motherland. The
Chinese government adheres to its stand for solving the issue of Taiwan
according to the basic principle of "peaceful reunification, and one
country, two systems,'' and resolutely opposes any attempt, by words or
deeds, to split the country by creating an "independent Taiwan,'' "two
Chinas,'' or "one China, one Taiwan.'' The issue of Taiwan is entirely an
internal affair of China. Directly or indirectly incorporating the Taiwan
Straits into the security and cooperation sphere of any country or any
military alliance is an infringement upon and interference in China's
sovereignty. The Chinese government seeks to achieve the reunification of
the country by peaceful means, but will not commit itself not to resort
to force. Every sovereign state has the right to use all means it thinks
necessary, including military means, to safeguard its own sovereignty and
territorial integrity. In deciding which way to deal with the issue of
Taiwan, the Chinese government has no obligation to make a commitment to
any country or any person attempting to split China. The Chinese
government opposes any country selling arms to Taiwan, which not only
violates the basic norms of international law but also threatens China's
security and regional peace and stability.
The Chinese government steadfastly follows an independent foreign policy
of peace, and stands for establishing and developing relations of
friendship and cooperation with all countries on the basis of the Five
Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and other commonly recognized
international relationship norms. China is willing to make unswerving
efforts to safeguard world peace and promote international security
together with other countries.
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