“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.” These are the words carved in stone at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) when it was founded.

After seventy-nine years, this tenet still rings true and takes on renewed relevance in today’s world where tensions, turbulence and transformation abound. How to re-establish the formula of peace, which is urgently called for in some parts of the world? What is the solution for enduring tranquility, and how can we give an adequate, collective response to the challenges on the horizon? These are the questions that we must find answers to.

This year is the first since the proposal of the Global Security Initiative (GSI). In July 2024, the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) and the Center for Global Security Initiative Studies launched a progress report, chronicling China’s efforts to promote cooperation under the GSI framework and the Initiative’s early harvests. Both proven track record and public opinion show that China remains a provider of much-needed stability and certainty amid turbulence and turmoil.

China is making proactive diplomatic efforts for the de-escalation and political settlement of ongoing conflicts. China is a major financial and personnel contributor to the UN peacekeeping missions and finances many projects through the China-UN Peace and Development Fund. As of 2023, China has allocated $80 million to the Peace and Security Trust Fund of the UN, launching 83 projects that encompass the training of peacekeepers, anti-terrorism capacity building in Africa, and rapid deployment of peacekeeping forces, all of which yielded positive outcomes. As of August 2024, China has launched four rounds of shuttle diplomacy missions for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and keeps engagement with various stakeholders to maintain and foster communication. In recent days, China and Brazil jointly issued the six-point common understandings for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and the stance is gaining support in the Global South and beyond. Having successfully brokered Saudi-Iranian rapprochement in 2023, China went on to host talks for Palestinian unity, empowering the search for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace plan for the Middle East.

As the global strategic balance is increasingly shaky, countries around the world are gravely concerned about events of catastrophic consequence. UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu warns, “A nuclear conflict is simply inconceivable. There is no victor, only victims, in nuclear war.” Being a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China remains steadfast in its commitment to global strategic stability and security. China is the only nuclear-weapon State to pledge to no first use of nuclear weapons. It has called on other countries to match this “no-first-use” commitment during a preparatory session held in Geneva for the review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The call comes particularly relevant and has won widespread acclaim during the session, as such steps are helpful to creating an environment of trust and curbing strategic risks.

With the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, China aims to address the root causes of conflict and achieve peace through comprehensive plans. At the recently concluded the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, particular emphasis was placed on the pursuit of high-quality development, and reform measures were introduced in social sectors such as employment, education and health care. It is an important conclusion drawn from China’s past decades of experience that efforts dedicated to development and security are mutually reinforcing, and that with greater development comes a better environment and more avenues for the realization of peace and security. Guided by such realization, China is endeavoring to contribute to global peace by sharing its growth opportunities while promoting development cooperation under GSI frameworks.

Ancient Chinese philosophy holds that the noblest ideal is to create a world truly shared by all. This millennia-old belief continues to inform China’s answer today to questions like, what kind of a world to build and how to build it. China envisions a community with a shared future for mankind, calls for an equal and orderly multipolar world, and champions universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. It has translated vision into concrete actions and will continue to work relentlessly toward these goals.

The author is a commentator on international and multilateral affairs, contributing regularly for Xinhua News, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN, etc.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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