President Xi Jinping delivers the keynote speech via video link on April 21 at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022. (DING HAITAO / XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping proposed a Global Security Initiative on April 21, calling on the international community to reject Cold War mentality, oppose unilateralism and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation.

In a speech delivered via video link at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, Xi stressed the importance of upholding a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and adhering to noninterference in internal affairs.

“It has been proven time and again that the Cold War mentality would only wreck the global peace framework, that hegemonism and power politics would only endanger world peace, and that bloc confrontation would only exacerbate security challenges in the 21st century,” he told an audience of world leaders and business executives.

The forum this year brought together leaders including Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

In explaining the Global Security Initiative, the president said the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture should be built.

He stressed the need to oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others’ security, resolve differences and disputes between countries peacefully through dialogue and consultation, and support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises.

It is important to reject double standards, oppose the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, and maintain security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, he said, adding that the international community should work together on regional disputes and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity.

The initiative came on the heels of the Global Development Initiative, proposed by Xi at a United Nations event in September, to advance sustained global growth, economic recovery and narrow gaps between different nations.

International observers hailed Xi’s latest speech calling on countries around the world to work together to tackle global governance challenges, saying the message was timely and offers a path to calm and stability at a turbulent period in global politics.

Erik Solheim, former United Nations under-secretary-general and former executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said that Xi “rightly warned about a Cold War mentality and underlined that only together can we create a shared future”.

He added that Xi very appropriately called for a common platform to bring peace and lower global tensions, and called for respect for national sovereignty while avoiding unilateral action.

“His speech should help find a way toward peace in Ukraine. Even when the West and most developing nations have different perspectives, common ground should be found in the call for an immediate cease-fire, restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and respect for legitimate Russian security concerns,” Solheim said.

In his speech on April 21, Xi likened countries around the world to “passengers aboard the same ship who share the same destiny”, noting that “for the ship to navigate the storm and sail toward a bright future, all passengers must pull together”.

Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, said Xi gave a timely speech that was calm and stabilizing during a very turbulent and destabilized time in international politics.

“At a time when Western advanced countries are toying with the (very bad) idea of expelling or distancing Russia from international groupings such as the G20, the message correctly was that international society must come together as a group and resolve matters internally rather than forming in-groups, out-groups and excluded parties,” he said.

Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said he strongly agreed with Xi that global collaboration is required when it comes to dealing with global health threats or problems.

As Asia has a large population and a huge economy, Budiman said the continent should play a key role in ensuring global health security.

“I agree with making Asia an anchor for world peace and the lead in the global community to make the world more resilient. This is an important step not only for Asia itself but also for humanity,” said Budiman.

In the speech to the Boao Forum, Xi mentioned challenges including the once-in-a-century pandemic, the emergence of new traditional security risks, the weak and faltering global economic recovery, and a widening development gap.

“Faced with the many challenges, we must not lose confidence, hesitate or flinch. Instead, we must firm up confidence and press ahead against all odds,” Xi said.

He stressed the significance of working together to defend people’s lives and health, saying countries must support each other, coordinate their response measures better, and improve global public health governance.

In promoting economic recovery, Xi underlined the need for greater macro policy coordination and to turn to science and technology for more growth drivers, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, and prevent serious negative spillovers from policy adjustments in some countries.

The president expressed his disapproval of unilateralism, the excessive pursuit of self-interest, the practices of decoupling, supply disruption and maximum pressure and attempts to forge “small circles” or to stoke conflict and confrontation along ideological lines, stating that such acts are doomed to fail.

“It is particularly important for major countries to lead by example in honoring equality, cooperation, good faith and the rule of law, and act in a way befitting their status,” he said.

Xi called for efforts to strengthen the growth and development of Asia, saying that Asian nations should resolutely safeguard peace in the region, vigorously advance cooperation and jointly promote unity.

Georgieva, the IMF managing director, said in a prerecorded speech that China’s actions to counter its slowdown and achieve its growth target are vital to global recovery.

“But the solutions for the global economy go beyond any one country. Countering the far-reaching damage of these back-to-back crises, and the risks we face in a more shock-prone world, requires stronger international cooperation,” she said.

Experts said the Global Security Initiative is another global public good offered by China, as it contributes Chinese solutions and wisdom for solving security challenges facing humanity.

Bambang Suryono, chairman of the Indonesian think tank Asia Innovation Study Center, said the initiative seeks common security, which underlines peace and cooperation.

It would help create an international order based on mutual respect, equality and mutual trust, he noted.

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, said: “Positioning Asia as an anchor for world peace, a powerhouse for global growth and a new pacesetter for international cooperation indicates Xi’s quest to uphold regional security.”

Guo Yanjun, director of the Institute of Asian Studies of China Foreign Affairs University, said the initiative will help build consensus and promote reform of the global security governance system.

Shakeel Ramay, chief executive officer of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development, said if the world wants to build a new security framework that is more fair and equitable, it should act on the Global Security Initiative.

Gerald Mbanda, a Rwandan researcher and publisher on China and Africa, said Xi’s remarks on the integration of the international community and how acts to remove any single part will cause serious problems to its operation are all the more important today amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

He said that the call by the United States and NATO for sanctions and isolation of Russia is causing problems for the whole world with the disruption of the supply chain for essential commodities, leading to inflation and increased prices.

Yosuke Tsuyuguchi, a professor at the Department of Economics at Teikyo University in Tokyo, said China, which has a large presence in the world in terms of trade and diplomacy, has a clear and stable policy on post-COVID-19 development.

“It is of great significance and will give a certain guideline as well as a sense of stability to the entire world. In this regard, the Chinese top leader’s philosophy on promoting the development of the world is very important,” Tsuyuguchi said.

Xi’s speech reinforced multilateralism, and “his announcement of the first of its kind global security initiative is telling because it calls for all nations to set a global security framework”, which is deemed a prerequisite for development, said Mustafa Hyder Sayed, executive director of the Pakistan-China Institute.

Consistent policies of peaceful development, increased multilateral cooperation and economic growth are the fundamentals of Xi’s vision as the world slowly comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic and navigates into the post-pandemic world order, Sayed added.

Sudheendra Kulkarni, former chairman of the Observer Research Foundation think tank in Mumbai, said the search by nations for common ground and common solutions to global problems is “the only way to go forward”. 

Chen Yingqun, Liu Hongjie and Pan Jie in Beijing, and Xinhua, contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn