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Chargé d'Affaires Chen Xufeng Takes An Interview with Walta Information Center
2022-05-06 21:46

On May 6, Mr. Chen Xufeng, Chargé d'Affaires a. i. of Mission of China to the African Union, took an interview with Walta Information Center, and answered questions about Global Security Initiative and China’s proposal on peace and security situation in Africa. The transcript of the interview is as follows:

Chen: On April 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative at the Opening Ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022. This is another global public good in the area of global security offered by China following the Global Development Initiative, and also a vivid demonstration of the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind in the security field.

The Global Security Initiative champions the commitment in six aspects: First, stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work together to maintain world peace and security; Second, stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries; Third, stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reject the Cold War mentality, oppose unilateralism, and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation; Fourth, stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others’ security; Fifth, stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises, reject double standards, and oppose the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction; Sixth, stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, and work together on regional disputes and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity. 


Journalist: Why China proposes the Global Security Initiative now? 

Chen: The Global Security Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping is not only the answer to current needs, but also aiming at promoting the common security of the world and building a security community that is highly relevant to every country and everyone. At present, mankind is still in the shadow of the pandemic, and the Ukraine crisis still continues. Global issues are increasing and getting more and more difficult to solve. At the moment, some countries cling to the Cold War mentality and are keen to engage in exclusive "small cliques". With false claims they practice unilateralism in the name of multilateralism, double standards in the name of “rules” and hegemony in the name of democracy. This has severely undermined the international security order and exacerbated the deficit in global security governance.

Even against the backdrop of weak global economic recovery, these countries continue to generalize the concept of national security and suppress other countries' economic, scientific and technological development, exacerbating the livelihood difficulties of the world, especially developing countries. This year's AU Assembly specifically adopted a resolution on the impact of unilateral sanctions, expressing grave concern over the indiscriminate impact of economic sanctions on civilians, the negative impact on the right to development and international relations, and calling on western countries to immediately lift sanctions against Zimbabwe, South Sudan etc.

The Global Security Initiative responds to the urgent need of the international community to safeguard world peace and prevent conflicts and wars, to the common pursuit of multilateralism and international solidarity, and to the aspiration of people of all countries to work together to overcome difficulties and create a better post-pandemic world. It fully demonstrates President Xi jinping's internationalism and leadership of a major country that is committed to the cause of world peace and development. It has contributed Chinese wisdom to making up for the deficit of peace and offered Chinese solutions to international security challenges.


Journalist: How China will implement the Global Security Initiative?

Chen: China always advocates “peace is precious” and “great harmony in the world”. The Global Security Initiative is rooted in China’s independent and peaceful foreign policy and practice. China is not only the initiator of the Global Security Initiative, but also the practitioner of its implementation. China wishes to work with the international community to make sure the Global Security Initiative takes root and bears fruits in the following areas.

First, we firmly uphold the authority and status of the United Nations and jointly practice the true multilateralism, and oppose undermining the international order in the name of “rules” and dragging the world into a “new Cold War”. Second, we stay committed to the general direction of promoting peace talks and jointly working for political solutions to hotspot issues, uphold justice, encourage dialogue and be a “stabilizer of peace” rather than a “fan of conflict”. Third, we coordinate efforts to address security threats in both traditional and non-traditional areas and work together to improve the global security governance system, practice the global governance approach of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, guard against and resolve security dilemmas. Fourth, we take into account both development and security, and jointly promote strong recovery of the world economy. China will continue to support the African Union in implementing Agenda 2063, help African countries address their development deficits and promote sustainable security through sustainable development. Fifth, we strive for building a new regional security framework. We are firmly opposed to splitting Asia under the pretext of the “Indo-Pacific strategy” and turning Africa into an arena for competition among major powers.


Journalist: What is China’s proposal on the peace and security situation in Africa?

Chen: China always values peace and security in Africa and is committed to participating constructively in African peace and security affairs. China is the second largest peacekeeping contributor to the UN and the largest troop contributor among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. More than 80 percent of China’s peacekeepers are deployed in Africa. So far, China’s naval fleet have escorted 7,000 Chinese and foreign ships in the waters off Somalia. This January, China proposed the “Initiative of Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa”. Recently, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited countries in the Horn of Africa, supporting regional countries in addressing the triple challenges of security, development and governance in an independent manner to achieve lasting peace, stability, development and prosperity.

China is always committed to supporting Africa to bring “African solutions to African problems”, and address both the symptoms and root causes, overcome governance challenges, and properly handle ethnic, religious, and regional disputes. China supports the African Union and African countries in playing a leading role in African peace and security affairs, and supports that the UN should provide financial support for the AU’s independent peacekeeping operations.

At last year’s Dakar Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping proposed “Nine Programs”, of which “the peace and security program” is an important part. China will carry out 10 peace and security projects for Africa and continue to implement its military assistance to the African Union, support African countries in their own efforts to safeguard regional security and counter-terrorism, conduct joint training and on-site training of Chinese and African peacekeeping forces and cooperation on the control of light arms. China wishes to work with the African Union and the international community to implement the Initiative and contribute wisdom and strength to promoting comprehensive peace and stability on the African continent.


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