BEIJING: The 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum entered its second day on Friday with an official opening ceremony highlighted by a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping and a keynote speech by Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, as the keyword “peace” became the dominant theme of the event.
In his congratulatory letter, Xi pointed out that in the face of global changes of a magnitude not seen in a century and the expectations of people around the world for security and stability, China has been practicing the Global Security Initiative, continuously consolidating consensus among all parties, promoting the elimination of the root causes of international conflicts, improving global security governance and making unremitting efforts to build a world of lasting peace and universal security.
He expressed the hope that the current forum will continue to uphold the spirit of equality, openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning; foster broad consensus and deepen mutual trust; and make new and greater contributions to collectively addressing global security challenges and promoting the building of a human community with a shared future. Dong said in the keynote speech that in the face of the changes of a magnitude not seen in a century, we must embrace mutual respect and sincerity, seek common ground while reserving differences, foster an open and inclusive environment, and achieve win-win cooperation and mutual success, collectively exploring a long-term path for harmonious coexistence.
Within an inseparable security community, we should share responsibilities, pursue common development, promote security through unity and mutual assistance, and seek a new security approach based on the greatest common denominator rather than the interests of small groups, said the Chinese defense minister in the speech on Friday.
Facing turmoil and conflict, we must maintain our confidence in political solutions, uphold an objective and fair stance, and adopt a holistic approach to addressing both symptoms and root causes, Dong said, calling for the accumulation of positive strength for peace and stability and the common advocation for a multipolar world characterized by equality and order.
The Chinese military firmly practices the Global Security Initiative and is willing to join hands with armed forces from all countries to build a new type of security partnership, advance pragmatic and open military cooperation, enhance security governance in emerging fields, and jointly provide safeguards for high-quality development, so as to make new and greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind and to maintaining world peace and security together, Dong said. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
