People of Asia Join Hands to Safeguard Peace and Security and Build a Future of Peace, Prosperity and Security

Speech by Han Qide, President of CPAPD

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People of Asia Join Hands to Safeguard Peace and Security and Build a Future of Peace, Prosperity and Security

Speech by Han Qide, President of CPAPD

September 23, 2014

Your Excellency Mr. Chamal Rajapaksa, speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka,

Your Excellency Mr. Hussain Muhammad Ershad, former president of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh,

Your Excellency Mr. Demetris Christofias, former president of Cyprus,

Your Excellency Mr. Alain Noudéhou, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, representatives of Asian people gather here in the beautiful ancient city of Xi’an to commemorate the International Day of Peace 2014. I would like take this opportunity to express warm congratulations to the opening of the Commemoration, and extend sincere welcome to all distinguished guests, who have traveled afar to attend the event.

In observance of the 1984 UN, the United Nations designated the theme of this year’s International Day of Peace to be “Right of Peoples to Peace.” After 30 years, the Declaration’s core contents about eradicating war, settling international disputes by peaceful means, building lasting peace, implementing the right of peoples to peace, and promoting sustainable progress of mankind are still significantly relevant.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

History is our best textbook, and also the strongest dose of sobriety. History tells us that wars are like devils and nightmares, bringing people holocaust and suffering. In the last century, from 1900 to 1990, 107 million people lost their lives in wars. After entering modern civilization, mankind has not made wars any more civilized with more modern weaponry. In modern warfare, the ideas of “frontline” and “rear area” cease to exist, and the battlefields have been expanded to shopping malls, hotels, train stations, even schools, inflicting collateral damages on innocent women and children. War has claimed precious lives more and more from civilians. In the First World War 10% of the total causalities were suffered by civilians. In the Second World War, Fascist invaders brought a catastrophe to the world. Japanese invaders trampled the beautiful lands of China and many other Asian countries. They slaughtered soldiers and civilians indiscriminately, violated and mutilated women, waged biological and chemical warfare, and staged an array of heinous horrors including the Nanjing Massacre. The countries and peoples of Asia suffered huge losses because of invasion by Japan, and half of all casualties were civilian. In the Vietnam War, the number rose to 70%, and in the Iraq War, it reached 90%.

Upon entering the 21stCentury, as globalization deepens, non-traditional security threats concerning economic security, energy security, food security, natural disasters, pandemics, cyber security, terrorism, and drug-related crimes have become more salient. Terrorism in particular has brought heavy harm to people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We should learn our lessons from history, jointly address security challenges, and make concerted efforts to promote prosperity and development in Asia, so that peoples of Asia and the rest of the world can enjoy happy life, basking in the sunshine of peace.

First, the people of Asia should be active advocators of peace and stability in Asia. At present, Asia is still faced with various traditional and non-traditional security threats. Flames and threats of war are still with us, and many of our people are living in the terrors of conflicts and chaos. Japan, a perpetrator of the WWII who was defeated in the end, is now governed by leaders who are still attempting to justify its history of aggression, and challenge the hard-earned victory of WWII and the post-war international order. History and facts are written in human blood, which cannot be changed by anyone. The Chinese people, who sacrificed tremendously, will unswervingly defend the history written with our blood and lives. The people of China, and the peoples of Asia, will never agree to anyone’s attempt to deny, distort, or even whitewash the history of Japanese aggression. We hope that the Japanese leaders can face up to, and reflect upon, its history of aggression, and correct their wrongdoings with concrete actions to regain the trust of neighboring Asian countries and the international community.

When light advances by one step, darkness has to recede by one step as well. Despite the differences of Asian countries in size, political system, development stage, and cultural tradition, our peoples share a common aspiration for peace, and a common fate of safety or peril. The peoples of Asia should step forward bravely with a solemn “no” to all attempts that threaten peace and security, actively support consensus-building among Asian governments through dialogue and consultation, bridge differences in the spirit of mutual understanding and tolerance, and settle disputes through peaceful negotiation. We should let the sunshine of peace disperse the gloom of war, and create a sound environment for Asia’s development.

Second, the people of Asia should be active supporters of common development in Asia. Development is the foundation of peace, for only development can bring people a decent life. With one third of the global economy, a population of over 4 billion, ample supply of labor, and strong advantages of the late-starters, Asia today stands among the most dynamic regions of the world. At the same time, most countries in Asia are still developing ones, with relatively low per capita GDP, uneven development in different regions, and more than 700 million people living under the international poverty line, and hence an arduous task of development.

The stage for cooperation is as wide as our imaginations can be. The proposals by the Chinese Government of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road in the 21stCentury aim at building a bridge of peaceful development and common prosperity among peoples of Asia, and linking them to the peoples of other continents. In the next 5 years, China will import goods worth US$10 trillion, invest over US$500 billion overseas, and send 500 million tourists to other countries. China’s neighboring countries and countries along the Silk Roads will be the first to benefit. As we build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road, China will coordinate development strategies with countries along the Roads, with a view to creating new economic growth points and job opportunities for the people, so that the prosperity and development brought by the Silk Roads can benefit the countries, cities, communities and common people along them, and enable all to share the fruits of development and bask in the sunshine of prosperity and affluence.

Third, the people of Asia should be the active promoters of exchanges and mutual learning among Asian cultures. Exchanges and mutual learning among different cultures are important driving force of the progress of human civilization and world peace. The stone wall at the entrance to the UNESCO headquarters carries the inscription of one single message in several languages: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed,” which fully elaborates the significance of enhancing exchanges and mutual learning among cultures.

Like water, cultures subtly nurture people. Asia is among the birthplaces of the ancient civilizations of the world. Cultures are diversified. Whether it is Chinese, or other Asian cultures, they all are the crystallization of human work and wisdom. Cultures are equal, for there are no better or worse cultures. Cultures are inclusive. All achievements of various cultures are worth respecting and cherishing. The peoples of Asia need to engage in exchanges and dialogue among cultures and enhance mutual learning to promote the harmonious coexistence of various races, religions and cultures. Such exchanges and mutual learning should serve as a bridge to strengthen friendship among the peoples of Asia, a driving force of social progress in Asia, and a bond to preserve peace and stability in Asia.

Fourth, the dream of the Chinese people is one of peace and development, and one closely associated with the dreams of all peoples of Asia. Through over three decades of reform and opening up, China has continually improved the life of her people, and made historic progress with its development. At the same time, we are also soberly aware that, as big as the Chinese economy is, China’s per capita GDP ranks only around 80thin the world, and there are more than 200 million Chinese people still living under the UN poverty line. To enable all 1.3 billion Chinese to enjoy a well-off life, we still need to work hard for a long time. Therefore, we have set the objective of becoming a socialist modern country by the middle of the century.

The Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a dream of peace, a dream of pursuing happiness through peaceful development, and a dream shared by every Chinese. Having experienced so much pain and suffering, the Chinese people hold peace dearly to their heart. We hope to work together with other peoples of Asia to pursue, preserve, and enjoy peace. The Chinese dream is about giving everyone the chance of self-development and making contribution to the society, ensuring everyone live with dignity and enjoy better education, more stable work, more satisfactory income, more reliable social security, better healthcare, more comfortable living conditions, and more idyllic environment. The Chinese Dream is a dream of the pursuit of happiness by the Chinese people, and also is related to the dreams of other peoples of Asia. In the process of materializing their dream, the Chinese people will also help other peoples of Asia to do the same.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Even a journey of a thousand miles starts right beneath our feet. Today, may we sow the seeds of the ideas of peace, hoist the sail of peace; may we unite to be a strong force to eradicate various traditional and non-traditional security threats; may we make joint contributions to peace, stability, and prosperity in Asia, and to the implementation of the right of peoples to peace.

Thank you!