By He Yin, People’s Daily
In a turbulent and volatile world, only by standing on the right side of history and acting with wisdom, courage and sense of responsibility can countries make the right choice.
Profound global changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, both unseen in a century, have plunged the world into a phase of fluidity and transformation. The outbreak of the Ukraine crisis has further complicated the international situation which has already been full of uncertainties.
The evolution of the Ukraine crisis is something all peace-loving countries and people don’t want to see. The deteriorating situation has once again shown that state-to-state relations cannot advance to the stage of confrontation, and conflicts and confrontations are not in the interests of anyone. Peace and security are what the international community should treasure the most.
At such a critical moment, certain Western countries, driven by their own selfish interests, have added fuel to the fire to escalate the Ukraine crisis while criticizing the just position of other countries that urge the settlement of the crisis through dialogue and negotiation. They even claimed that every country should think about what side of history they want to be on over the Ukraine issue. It was like “if you don’t listen to me, then you are on the wrong side of history”.
While exposing the hegemonic mindset of certain Western countries, such remarks and acts of openly asking other countries to take sides are evidence of these countries’ failing to grasp the trend of history and standing on the right side of history.
Countries that stand on the right side of history must support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Whether they have promoted peace talks or incited confrontation, doused the fire or fanned the flames of war, pursued common interests or selfish gains, history will record justly the merits and demerits of countries’ choices regarding the Ukraine crisis.
China maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis must be supported.
This is a judgment made independently based on the merits of the matter and the right choice based on a long-term perspective and the intention of safeguarding world peace.
To resolve the Ukraine crisis, all sides need to jointly support Russia and Ukraine in having dialogue and negotiation that will produce results and lead to peace. The U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should also hold dialogue with Russia to solve the crux of the crisis.
China’s proposition, while helps avoid escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia, embodies the philosophy “harmony is the most valuable”, which has been valued by the Chinese nation since ancient times, and demonstrates China’s strong sense of responsibility as a major country.
Countries that stand on the right side of history must promote global peace and development.
Peace, development, cooperation, and win-win results are the irresistible trend of the times. Peoples of all countries long for peace and development. China stands for peace and opposes war, which is embedded in the country’s history and culture.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China has always faithfully fulfilled its international obligations and played a constructive role in safeguarding world peace and stability.
China has the best record as a major country when it comes to peace and security. It has never invaded other countries, launched proxy wars, sought spheres of influence or engaged in any military bloc confrontation.
To resolve the Ukraine crisis, it is absolutely imperative to promote dialogue and negotiation between Russia and Ukraine, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, and cease hostilities as soon as possible.
China has been doing its best for world peace, and will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.
Countries that stand on the right side of history must safeguard equity and justice. The prevailing trends toward a multi-polar world, economic globalization, and the democratization of international relations remain unchanged. Increasingly, international affairs need to be jointly handled by all countries through extensive consultation, while establishing international mechanism, abiding by international rules, and pursuing international justice have become a consensus among the majority of countries.
China advocates upholding international law and universally recognized norms governing international relations, adheres to the UN Charter and promotes the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
Ukraine’s sovereignty and security should be safeguarded; Russia’s legitimate security concerns should also be respected. Europe’s peace and stability should be defended, so should the peace and stability of other countries.
Major countries in the world should respect each other, reject Cold War mentality, refrain from bloc confrontation, and gradually build balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture for their regions and for the world, which is the long-term solution to the Ukraine crisis. China will be pleased to see equal-footed dialogue among the EU, Russia, the U.S. and NATO.
What makes a major country a truly respected one is its responsibility and capability to advance and safeguard global peace.
In this volatile and changing world, China has always upheld and practiced true multilateralism, and stood on the right side of history, the side of peace, cooperation, fairness, and justice, as well as the side of human progress.
Time will prove that China’s proposition represents the right path toward realizing the lasting and peaceful development of the world and creating a more beautiful future for mankind.
