Xi Jinping invokes India's Panchsheel principles
02-Jul-2024The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were born in Asia but quickly ascended to the world stage.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday highlighted the relevance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which gained traction with the Non-Aligned Movement, to end the present-day conflicts and sought to expand influence in the Global South amid its tussle with the West.
Xi, 71, invoked the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, termed as Panchsheel by India, at a conference here to mark its 70th anniversary and also sought to juxtapose them with his new concept of Global Security Initiative envisaging a shared future for mankind.
“The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence answered the call of the times, and its initiation was an inevitable historic development. The Chinese leadership in the past specified the Five Principles in their entirety for the first time, namely, ‘mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity’, ‘mutual non-aggression’, ‘mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs’, ‘equality and mutual benefit’, and ‘peaceful coexistence’,” Xi said.
“They included the Five Principles in the China-India and China-Myanmar joint statements which jointly called for making them basic norms for state-to-state relations,” Xi said at the conference where the invitees included former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several political leaders and officials from various countries closely associated with China over the years.
The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were born in Asia but quickly ascended to the world stage. In 1955, more than 20 Asian and African countries attended the Bandung Conference, Xi recalled in his address. The Non-Aligned Movement that rose in the 1960s adopted the Five Principles as its guiding principles, he said.
“The Five Principles have set a historic benchmark for international relations and international rule of law,” he said, highlighting their relevance to ending the present-day conflicts.
