Global strategists, decision-makers address key security, devt issues at Beijing peace forum

BEIJING - The 13th World Peace Forum in Beijing, which ended on Friday, saw experts, strategists and statespersons from across the globe exchanging views in the Chinese capital, with their focus on solving some of the most pressing issues threatening world peace.

Themed "advancing global peace and prosperity: shared responsibility, benefit and achievement," the forum, which ran from July 2 to 4, was hosted by Tsinghua University and the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.

Addressing Pan-securitisation 

Pan-securitization was the focus of discussion in one plenary of the forum, where participants shared views on how certain countries continuously expand the boundaries of "security."

From the perspective of Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States from 2013 to 2021, the key promoters of pan-securitisation are also prominent disruptors of global security.

The reason why these countries now feel insecure is that many other countries are no longer tolerating their unilateral, hegemonic behaviour, said Cui.

The solution, he stated, is to act based on the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, where no country is excluded or targeted.

"It is not only necessary to address some security issues at the superficial level, but also to pay attention to the deep-seated factors and root causes of security problems," he added.

Former Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo Yong-Boon, meanwhile, highlighted the role of morality in resolving the pan-securitisation conundrum.

"If we don't have peace in our heart, then no matter how clever our diplomats are, we cannot achieve world peace," he said, adding that it is important to develop a new sense of what is moral. He also noted that in this regard, the Chinese proposal of building a human community with shared future is a moral necessity.

Greater emphasis on multilateralism 

Throughout the forum, a recurring view in the speeches and dialogues of all participants was that global peace and security should not be only in the hands of major powers. Middle powers, as well as countries of the Global South, should also have a say in this matter.

Global South countries share a common experience of colonialism and imperialism oppression, and have mutual goals such as poverty alleviation, reduction of inequality and greater participation in international affairs, said Shivshankar Menon, who served as the national security advisor to the prime minister of India from 2012 to 2014.

In the meantime, due to expansion of the geopolitical space, the current lack of order in the world has given Global South countries the room to try to achieve their goals, said Menon.

This means the fragmented security order in various regions is both a challenge and an opportunity for the Global South.

Expressing a similar view, former Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan spoke of the role of middle powers in moderating major power disputes.

He noted that middle powers do not seek hegemony, and have certain strengths and sincere desires to encourage everyone to cooperate and solve problems.

Taking the case of northeast Asia as an example, Kim said cooperation between Japan, the ROK and China is of great significance. He expressed belief that enhancement of this trilateral cooperation endeavour can reduce the risk of confrontation between China and the United States.

Positive outlook on China-EU relations 

With a summit marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the European Union (EU) drawing near, some participants at the 13th World Peace Forum also held positive views on the development of China-EU relations.

Former President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, who called for more dialogues between countries, governments and peoples in his address to the forum, expressed optimism regarding an upcoming China-EU summit.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed the summit as one of the important events China will hold to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic relations.

"Hopefully, dialogue can bring about a return to realism, and a move away from ideological or nationalist models," Van Rompuy said in the speech.

His opinions on China-EU relations was echoed by Shi Mingde, former Chinese ambassador to Germany. When speaking at a panel discussion focusing on China-Europe ties, Shi reiterated that China-Europe relations should not be affected by a third country.

"The upcoming China-EU summit will be a valuable opportunity where both sides can reflect on the achievements we made over the past 50 years, and take a closer look at the problems at hand," said Shi. "Chinese and European leaders have not met for quite some time, so the fact that the summit will be held is in and of itself a success."