BEIJING: State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe called on Wednesday for world solidarity and fairness instead of division and hegemony, as he told his counterparts from Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific countries that world peace is facing major challenges.
Wei made the remarks in his speech at the 9th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus held in Cambodia, which brought together defense ministers from ASEAN and its dialogue partners — Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.
In the face of major challenges to world peace and development, the right direction to take is to build a community with a shared future for mankind, which is also where the world’s future lies, Wei said.
He urged all countries to be united rather than divided, fair rather than hegemonistic, open rather than closed, and mutually beneficial rather than selfish, so as to jointly shape and maintain a regional order that balances the concerns of all parties and serves their interests. Wei also said that the Chinese military is willing to work with the militaries of other countries to continue contributing to world peace.
China does not covet the interests of other countries, but its resolve to defend its own interests is as firm as a rock, the general stressed, reiterating China’s position on the Taiwan question. He said Taiwan is part of China and resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese, adding that the Chinese military is unyielding, assured, confident and able to defeat any intruders. Wei pointed out that the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region remains stable, but there are certain concerns. He told the conference that the defense departments of all countries should uphold the central role of ASEAN, follow the Global Security Initiative, focus on practical cooperation and work together to build a solid barrier for universal security.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
