Translation of Speech as Delivered:
Promote Security Cooperation for a Harmonious Asia‑Pacific Region
Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, People’s Republic of China
Thank you, Dr Chipman.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends. I am very pleased to revisit Singapore and attend the Shangri-La Dialogue. Over the years, the Shangri-La Dialogue, thanks to the joint efforts of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and the government of Singapore, has developed into a significant platform for multilateral security dialogue in the Asia-Pacific Region. We hope to exchange our views concerning regional security issues on this platform.
Currently, the international situation is experiencing a profound change and world peace and development are confronted by many difficulties and challenges. Under these circumstances, it is delightful to witness that the overall security situation in the Asia-Pacific Region is still dominated by stability, peace, development and cooperation, and the big powers are building relations, increasing interactions and showing a stronger demand and intention for security cooperation. The regional security mechanisms like ASEAN Regional Forum and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are continuously improving and playing a more prominent role in maintaining regional peace and stability, and some positive factors are gaining the upper hand in regional security cooperation.
Certainly, we shall never ignore those negative factors in the regional security situation. Recently, the international financial crisis, a rare event since the 1930s, is imposing an increasingly noticeable impact on international politics and security. All of the countries in the Asia-Pacific Region are troubled by difficulties and challenges to varying dgrees. Local turbulence has intensified, international terrorism and extremism remain as active as before, and regional hotspot issues crop up from time to time. The Cold War mentality, military confrontations, disrespect of existing agreements, and the interference in internal affairs of other countries still persist. Traditional and non-traditional security threats are interwoven leading to a more complicated security environment. North Korea conducted another nuclear test on May 25, complicating the already tricky situation on the Korean Peninsula.
In general, the Asia-Pacific Region is still one of the most vigorous and capable regions in the world. All of the countries in this region share a policy orientation, namely striving for dialogue and cooperation and joining hands to create prosperity and stability. What counts most is confidence, solidarity and cooperation in the face of this rare financial crisis and the unprecedented global challenge. Economic depressions throughout history have taught us the lesson that the crisis will be only worsened by shifting one’s trouble onto others and launching mutual competition, and some dangerous consequences may even be incurred by transferring domestic troubles on to other countries and confronting each other. Recently, the heads of state at the Group 20’s two summit meetings have agreed upon a series of issues including measures against an international financial crisis. Not long ago, the international community held an International Conference on Afghanistan to discuss some workable solutions for achieving peace and development in Afghanistan. In other words, maintaining regional peace, stability and prosperity confronts challenge as well as opportunity. All of the countries shall join hands to go through the hardships and play a constructive role in promoting regional security and prosperity.
Ladies and gentlemen, China has long-standing historical and cultural traditions, and is undergoing rapid economic and social development and deepening foreign exchange and cooperation. See China in the light of its development from a strategic perspective and you will find many new things about the country. China not only values tradition, but embraces all favourable elements; not only upholds independence and autonomy, but assumes international duties accordingly.
As a big power with a strong sense of responsibility, China has constantly played a critical role in and made great contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific Region. China has unswervingly pursued the peaceful development road and has achieved national development by striving for a peaceful world environment and promoting world peace through its own development. Following the reform and open-door endeavours of about three decades, China’s economic strength and comprehensive national power have been further consolidated, and China’s economic ranking is steadily rising, from the tenth place in 1978 to the third place at present. China’s contribution ratio to the world economic growth has exceeded 20%, and the national income per capita has stood above USD 3000. China has risen from a low-income country into the rank of lower middle-income countries. The practices have proven that the pursuit of a peaceful development road is a correct strategic decision on the part of the Chinese government and people in consideration of the development trend of the times and their basic benefits, and also agree with the common benefits of all the countries in this region. China’s peaceful development is a major opportunity for the Asia-Pacific Region and the world at large. As the international financial crisis continues, the Chinese government has taken some effective measures and spared no efforts to guarantee the stability and development of national economy. China, as the largest developing country with 1/5 of the global population, is making huge contributions to the stability and development of the Asia-Pacific Region and the world as a whole by properly managing its own business. Meanwhile, as an active player in international cooperation in a bid to combat the financial crisis, China has contributed USD 38.4 billion to co-establish the foreign-exchange reserve pool in Asia to maintain regional economic and financial stability and boost regional financial cooperation and trade development.
China unswervingly pursues the foreign policy of friendship and partnership with neighbouring countries. China, a country with the largest land border in the world, has a land border of over 22,000 kilometres. China, based on the principle of safeguarding sovereignty and conducting peaceful negotiations, has delimited land border with 12 neighbouring countries, laying a solid foundation for lasting peace in Asia. China has always advocated a peaceful solution to the disputes over marine rights and interests and suggested laying disputes aside and mutual development before the disputes are satisfactorily settled. In 2002, China and the ASEAN member states signed the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea, fully demonstrating China’s sincere intention to settle disputes through peaceful consultation, and playing a positive role in maintaining the stability of South China Sea and enhancing the mutual trust.
China has firmly pursued a national defence policy that is defensive in nature and a military strategy of active defence to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity. To meet the new military changes of the world, the central issue is to enhance the abilities for winning informationalised regional wars, coping with various security threats and completing multiple military missions. China commits itself to developing the military cooperation featuring non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting at any third party, and actively participates in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the ASEAN Regional Forum and some multilateral and bilateral security dialogues and cooperation, as well as international military missions of various forms including joint military manoeuvres and drills, marine patrols, international anti-terrorism campaigns and disaster relief.
Since 2002, China has successfully organised 25 joint military manoeuvres and 4 joint land military drills with the armed forces from 21 countries, which produces a profound impact on enhancing military trust and maintaining regional peace and stability. According to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, the Chinese PLA naval fleet was dispatched in December 2008 to carry out an escort mission in the waters of the Gulf of Aden off Somalia. The first escort mission escorted 41 batches of 166 ships, provided a regional escort for 46 ships and successfully rescued 3 foreign ships under the pirates’ attack. In the course of the escort mission, Chinese naval ships conducted sound cooperation with warships from other countries in the exchange of intelligence and information and humanitarian relief operations.These fully demonstrate China’s commitment to its international obligations as a responsible major country, and the Chinese army’s positive attitude toward maintaining international and regional peace and security.
China takes an active part in international cooperation against non-traditional security threats and accepts selfless aid from the international community in a broad-minded way. On the first anniversary of Wunchuan Earthquake, I would like to, on behalf of the Chinese army, extend our heartfelt gratitude to the national defence departments and armies which offered disaster relief and aid in this earthquake.
Ladies and gentlemen, the quest for an international security environment featuring peace and stability is the shared aspiration ofpeople all over the world. The peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific Region needs the joint efforts of all of the countries to further regional security cooperation.
Thus, we take this opportunity to suggest several points as follows:
First and foremost, a multilateral security dialogue and cooperation mechanism is consolidated and strengthened. To deal with increasing security threats and challenges, it is necessary to create a security mechanism which is conducive to lasting peace and common prosperity in the region, to further construct regional security mechanisms like the ASEAN Regional Forum and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation so that they can play a significant role in maintaining the regional peace and stability, to fully consider regional variety and different national interests, to encourage the establishment of multilateral dialogues and security cooperation mechanisms at different levels and in different areas with an attitude of openness and tolerance, seeking common ground while reserving differences and on the basis of equal consultation so as to achieve general security across the Asia-Pacific Region.
Next, the concept of cooperative security is further enhanced. Historical experiences have provided positive and negative evidence that exclusive alliances and military means cannot settle disputes in a radical sense and that national security cannot be guaranteed at a cost of other countries’ national security. China opposes the enlargement of the existing bilateral military alliances in Asia Pacific which were left over from the Cold War. It is imperative to adjust to the new changes in the international situation, abandon the concept of the Cold War, transcend the ideological gaps, set up the concept of cooperation-based security, settle disputes and contradictions in a peaceful mode, remove potential troubles to prevent the outburst of wars and conflicts, conduct cooperation in a broad and in-depth sense, and achieve common security as common interests are continually enhanced.
Thirdly, fair and rational mutual relation norms should be created. Such norms serve as a crucial prerequisite for the healthy development of security cooperation. Since the Asia-Pacific Region features a lot of hot and sensitive issues, it is necessary to give proper consideration to each other’s interests and concerns, and especially honour the vital interests and significant security interests of each country and build the security cooperation relation norms of respect, mutual trust, parity, reciprocity for the sake of maintaining the stability of inter-country relations, reducing differences and avoiding conflicts. All the countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, shall take up the responsibility for maintaining regional security and stability. And we are opposed to the unilateral violation of international agreements and the destruction of overall security cooperation situations.
Fourthly, pragmatic international security cooperation should be strengthened. As the non-traditional security factors in the Asia-Pacific Region are increasingly prominent, all of the countries should reinforce their pragmatic cooperation, conduct broad and in-depth cooperation in joint military manoeuvres and drills, exchange intelligence and information and personnel training programs, and cope with cross-border threats and challenges like terrorism, international crimes, natural disasters, and piracy together. In June 2009, China will host the Non-Traditional Cooperation Forum on Disaster Relief of the Armed Forces of ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea, and organise the China-Singapore Joint Security Exercise. Moreover, China and Russia will arrange a joint anti-terrorism exercise on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations. These activities demonstrate China’s active efforts to strengthen its pragmatic security cooperation.
Fifthly, it is imperative to actively conduct military diplomacy and reinforce mutual understanding and trust. The defence and military exchange is an integral part of security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region. The use of discriminatory policies and laws and the unilateral restrictions on exchange activities obviously go against the current trend and direct interests of the nations concerned. It is necessary to actively conduct military diplomacy, strengthen dialogues and consultations among all of the national defence departments and armed forces, reinforce mutual understanding and trust, and drive regional security cooperation along an upward trend.
That is the end of my speech. Thank You!
