The SCO Samarkand Summit: Dialogue and cooperation in an interconnected world: Promise of prosperity

A signboard of the SCO Samarkand Summit is seen in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Photo: Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan in China

 

 

Editor's Note:

The 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will take place in the historical city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 15-16. How the SCO member states will work together to address the most pressing global and regional challenges is receiving worldwide attention. In the countdown to the SCO Samarkand Summit, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev contributed a signed article to the Global Times on his expectations that the SCO, as one of the youngest international organizations that has realized a model for successful regional cooperation, will make a new contribution to solving the acute political and economic problems facing the contemporary international community.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Photo: Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan in China

Uzbekistan's chairmanship in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has entered a dynamic period, fraught with various events and trends - the period of the "historical rift," when one era comes to an end and another begins - thus far unpredictable and unknown.

The modern system of international cooperation, based on the universal principles and norms, has begun to falter. One of the main reasons for this is a deep crisis of trust at the global level, which, in turn, has provoked a geopolitical confrontation and the risk of reviving bloc thinking stereotypes. This process of mutual alienation complicates the return of the world economy to its former course of development and the restoration of global supply chains.

The ongoing armed conflicts in different parts of the world have destabilized trade and investment flows, exacerbating problems of ensuring food and energy security.

Along with this, global climate shocks, growing scarcity of natural resources including water, a decline in biodiversity, and the spread of dangerous infectious diseases have exposed the vulnerability of our societies as never before. They lead to destruction of existential common goods, threatening the basis of people's lives and reducing sources of income.

Under these circumstances, it is obvious that no country alone can hope to avoid or cope with these global risks and challenges.

There is only one way out of the dangerous spiral of problems in an interconnected world where we all live today - through a constructive dialogue and multilateral cooperation based on consideration and respect for everyone's interests. It is exactly at the time of crisis when all the countries - whether they be large, medium, or small - must put aside their narrow interests and focus on mutual interaction, unite, and increase the common efforts and possibilities to counter threats and challenges to peace, security, and sustainable development that are related to each of us.

Effective international cooperation makes the world more stable, predictable, and prosperous. This is the most viable, accessible, and the closest way to solve common problems of the time as well as a universal insurance policy against future challenges and shocks.

A model for successful regional cooperation

 A sculpture featuring the logo of the SCO is seen in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province. Photo: VCG

The international cooperation that is in the interest of everyone is impossible without multilateral institutions. Despite certain shortcomings, they continue to serve as the most important agents of interaction between countries - at the regional and global levels. International and regional organizations help countries to overcome differences and strengthen mutual understanding, develop political and economic cooperation, expand trade, and stimulate cultural and humanitarian exchanges.

These are the goals and objectives that are being pursued by one of the youngest multilateral institutions - the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. In fact, it is a unique interstate structure that has managed to unite countries with different cultural and civilizational codes, their own foreign policy guidelines, and models of national development. In a relatively short historical period, the SCO has come a long way, becoming an integral element of the modern global political and economic world order.

Today, the SCO family is the world's largest regional organization, which has united a huge geographical space and about a half of the population of our planet.

The basis for SCO's international attractiveness is its non-bloc status, openness, not negatively targeting third countries or other international organizations, equality and respect for the sovereignty of all participants, refusal to interfere in internal affairs, as well as prevention of political confrontation and unhealthy rivalry.

The SCO's success concept is the promotion of multifaceted cooperation through ensuring regional security.

In fact, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has been called upon to become a pole of attraction without dividing lines, in the name of peace, cooperation, and progress.

Therefore, the number of states that are ready to cooperate with the SCO is growing every year, and this is especially noticeable in the context of the transformation of the modern system of international and regional relations. 

The economic value of the SCO is enhanced by the self-sufficiency of its space, where there are dynamically developing economies in the world with huge human, intellectual, and technological potential, and the existence of large volumes of unused natural resources.

Today, the total GDP of the SCO member states has reached about a quarter of the global figure. This is already a very solid contribution to global sustainable development from a regional organization that has just crossed its 20-year threshold.

In a world with new challenges and opportunities, the SCO has excellent prospects for transformation and growth, not only through quantitative replenishment, but also through the opening of new strategic vectors. These are transport and connectivity, energy, food and environmental security, innovations, digital transformation, and green economy.

Uzbekistan's chairmanship: towards common success through joint development

Accepting the responsible mission of the Chairmanship of the SCO, the Republic of Uzbekistan has relied on the strategy of advancing the development of the Organization by opening up new horizons for cooperation and launching usage of untapped reserves that each of its members has.

Our slogan is "The SCO is strong if each of us is strong." Implementing this, we have made serious efforts to make the Organization even stronger from the inside and more attractive from the outside to our international partners.

At the platforms of more than 80 major events held during the year, a comprehensive agenda was formed for the SCO - starting from the issues of further expanding cooperation in security, strengthening transport and economic connectivity, and positioning the Organization in the international arena, up to the search for new ways and points for development.

All these promising directions of cooperation for the SCO at this new stage of its historical development are reflected in more than 30 conceptual programs, agreements, and decisions prepared during our leadership tenure.

What's more, Uzbekistan's chairmanship in the SCO is a logical continuation of an active and open foreign policy course that has been pursued by our country in the last six years. This policy is embodied, above all, in Central Asia, the geographical core of the SCO, where positive and irreversible processes of strengthening good-neighborliness and cooperation are now taking place.

All SCO member states are our closest neighbors, friends, and strategic partners.

The chairmanship has given us a good opportunity to further strengthen multilateral collaboration and expand bilateral cooperation with each of them, as well as setting new targets for even deeper partnership.

I am full of confidence that it is important and necessary for the SCO to share its success story with Afghanistan. This country is an integral part of the larger SCO space. The Afghan people need good neighbors and their support now more than ever. It is our moral obligation to extend a helping hand, to offer them effective ways of overcoming the years-long crisis by promoting socioeconomic growth in the country and its integration into regional and global development processes.

Afghanistan has, for centuries, played the role of a buffer in the historical confrontations of global and regional powers, and should try a new peaceful mission of connecting Central and South Asia.

The construction of the trans-Afghan corridor could become a symbol of such mutually beneficial inter-regional cooperation. It is also important to understand that by implementing joint infrastructure projects such as the Termez - Mazar-i-Sharif - Kabul - Peshawar railroad, we are not just solving socioeconomic, transportion, and communication problems, but also making a significant contribution to ensuring regional security.

By bringing our positions closer to each other, together we can develop a new SCO agenda for a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan. Only in this way can we create a truly stable and sustainable SCO space with indivisible security.

'Samarkand Spirit' - the embodiment of cooperation, mutual understanding and friendship

Foreign ministers of the SCO member states hold a meeting in Tashkent on July 29, 2022. Photo: AFP

After a three-year pandemic pause that has caused serious disruption in trade, economic and industrial ties, the countries and peoples of the SCO need to communicate directly.

The ancient city of Samarkand, the jewel of the Great Silk Road, is ready to welcome the leaders of 14 countries with new breakthrough proposals and initiatives designed to serve for the good and prosperity of the SCO and each of its members.

There is no doubt that this legendary city will open another chapter of the SCO success story. The glorious historical heritage of Samarkand will contribute to this.

For many centuries, this city has been threading together countries from Europe to China, merging North and South, and East and West into a single node.

Historically Samarkand has been a melting pot of ideas and knowledge, that was "cooking" a common goal of living better, being more successful, and becoming happier. And everybody has known that the friendly neighbors are half of your wealth, you yourself are a blessing for them, because you know that cooperation, trade, oeuvre, science, art, and the best ideas do good, enrich, and bring nations together.

These unique qualities of Samarkand, which today has a modern and dynamically developing infrastructure, turning it into the most suitable and demanded platform for joint discussions, searching for necessary responses to regional and global challenges.

The integrity and interconnectivity of mankind are such that most challenges require joint work not only at the regional level, but also on the global arena.

Relying on the experience of our many years of joint work, we are confident that the Samarkand SCO summit will set an example of how we can launch a new, inclusive dialogue based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, and constructive cooperation for the sake of common security and prosperity.

Samarkand can become the platform that can unite and reconcile states with different foreign policy priorities.

Historically, the world looked upon from Samarkand has been seen as single and indivisible, rather than fragmented. This is indeed the essence of the unique phenomenon of the "Samarkand spirit," which can serve as the basis for a fundamentally new format of international interaction, including within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The "Samarkand spirit" is designed to naturally complement the very "Shanghai spirit," thanks to which more than 20 years ago our countries decided to create a new and eagerly sought after organization.

Therefore, we are confident that in Samarkand we shall witness the birth of a new stage in the life of the SCO - the number of its members will grow, and its future agenda will be formed, and this is highly symbolic.

We are full of optimism and are convinced that the decisions of the upcoming summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will make a feasible contribution to strengthening the dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation both at the regional level and on a global scale. 

 By Shavkat Mirziyoyev 

 

When global power shifts | The Star

 https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/09/16/when-global-power-shifts

Xi kicks off 1st foreign trip since pandemic, ushers in new 'golden'

 ... Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Nur-sultan Wednesday for a state visit to Kazakhstan, the first foreign visit of the .

Source link

RELATED ARTICLES

 

Growing cohesion of SCO, attraction of Shanghai Spirit highlighted amid Russia-Ukraine conflict and US-led bloc confrontation

The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the US’ attempt to split the world and demolish the world order through promoting ...

SCO banks to prompt collaboration in key areas to boost regional economic recovery

China Development Bank and banks of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) signed a regional ...

Xi to attend SCO summit in first foreign visit since pandemic, showing ‘focus on neighborhood diplomacy’

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the ...

 

Related posts:

 

SCO Samarkand Summit will once again witness how barren the Western worldview is

SCO submit, non-Western Eurasia rises

 

BRICS and SCO: Seizing the Eruasian moment

Under banner of 'counter-terrorism' 9/11: US exports instability and plunders foreign resources for 21 years, US and the west must brace for great reset as new voices rise up

  Under banner of 'counter-terrorism,' US exports instability and plunders foreign resources for 21 years  ...

Remain vigilant against financial fraud

 

Cases of bank accounts looted by dodgy apps on the rise ...

THE Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) would like to remind members of the public to remain vigilant at all times to safeguard personal information. This includes avoiding downloading files or applications from unverified sources onto mobile devices.

ABM would like to draw the public’s attention to the safety measures recommended by the Malaysia Computer Security Response Team’s (MyCERT) security advisory, published recently.

Here are some of the safeguards recommended by MyCERT:

> Do not install any app or Android package kit (.apk) file from unknown sources. This is because it may be malware designed to steal your personal details and your online banking credentials.

> Do not click on adware or suspicious URLs sent through messaging services.

> Do not root or jailbreak your device.

> Verify an application’s permission settings and the application’s author or publisher before installing it.

> Only download apps from official sources.

> Do install antivirus software on your devices and run it regularly.

> Update your device’s operating system and apps regularly.

With cybercriminals and online fraudsters constantly changing their methods, ABM would also like to urge the public to remember the following:

> Never divulge your personal details and/or banking credentials to unknown or unverified parties.

> Never disclose your transaction authorisation code (TAC) or personal identification number (PIN) or your online login username and password to anyone.

> Never click on any links to banks’ websites that are sent from unknown, suspicious or unverified emails. Always key in your bank’s website address directly into the URL bar in your Internet browser or use your bank’s official mobile app.

> Avoid websites offering products at prices that are too good to be true and are littered with spelling mistakes – these tend to be fraudulent sites.

> Avoid using public or open WiFi networks for online banking.

> Always ensure that the banking website or banking app that you are using is genuine and official.

> Always refer to your bank’s official website or contact your bank’s hotlines (stated on the back of your credit card or on the banks’ websites) directly for information, verification and clarification when in doubt.

Bank account holders are also advised to monitor your statements as well as transaction alerts from the banks closely.

If you notice any unusual or suspicious transactions, contact your bank as soon as possible to report it. Next, lodge a report with the police. Thereafter, notify the bank in writing with a copy of the police report and all relevant records and documentation, such as transaction history, etc. Due investigation processes are in place to determine if the reported transaction is indeed unauthorised.

ABM would like to reiterate that member banks are required to adopt high standards of security, including for Internet and mobile banking services. Routine security reviews and advisories are also issued by Bank Negara Malaysia to financial institutions to ensure adequate protection against the latest threats.

The public are advised to keep informed of emerging threats through the advisories issued by financial institutions, Bank Negara Malaysia and other authorities to protect themselves. Information on the latest threats and measures that you can take to protect yourself against cybercriminals and online fraudsters can be obtained from abm.org.my/consumer-information/fraud-alerts.

ASSOCIATION OF BANKS IN MALAYSIA 

 Source link

 Related stories:

 BNM steps up collaboration with banks and law enforcement ...

 Public getting fed up with never ending data leaks

Your personal data on sale – cheap | The Star

 

Related posts:

 

SOURCE: Data protection dept not doing its job

  Personal Data Protection Department (PDPD) https://www.pdp.gov.my/jpdpv2/?lang=en Jabatan Perlindungan Data Peribadi Data Protection Dept ...

Indo-Pacific Strategy ‘fanning confrontation’ as US defense chief made ‘most barefaced’ Shangri-La speech attacking China

 

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said on Sunday that it would be a historic and strategic mistake to insist on taking China as a threat and adversary, or even as an enemy.

 

  

 

 Chinese Defence Minister on Taiwan, Nuke, Hypersonic, India, South China Sea and Vietnam!

 

 Taiwan Independence Is a Dead-end! The Chinese Army Will Fight to the End!

 

 

Shangri-La Dialogue: Chinese military official calls US Defense Secretary's speech a "confrontation"

 

 

 China will fight to the very end to stop Taiwan independence: Defence minister | Shangri-La Dialogue

China will "fight to the very end" to stop Taiwan from declaring independence, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe said in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday (Jun 12).

"We will fight at all cost and we will fight to the very end. This is the only choice for China," General Wei said.

His speech came a day after US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said China was becoming "more coercive and aggressive" in its approach to its territorial claims in the region.

On Sunday, General Wei said Beijing firmly rejects the US' "smearing accusations and even threats" against China.

Global affairs should be handled through consultation by all stakeholders instead of being dictated by just one country or a small group of countries, he said, adding: "No one or no group of countries should impose its will on others or bully others under the guise of multilateralism."

General Wei said the United States' Indo-Pacific strategy is an attempt to build an exclusive small group in the name of a free and open Pacific to "hijack countries in the region and target one specific country". It is a strategy to "create conflict and confrontation to contain and encircle others", he said. 

 Chinese delegation says Indo-Pacific Strategy ‘fanning confrontation’ as US defense chief made ‘most barefaced’ Shangri-La speech attacking China 

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 11, 2022. Photo:AFP

After Ukraine, US-led NATO wants to turn Asia Pacific into a new powder keg. Illustration: Carlos Latuff

 

US' Indo-Pacific Strategy is aimed at maintaining US hegemony, creating divisions and fanning confrontation, the Chinese delegation said, refuting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's speech at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday as Austin took advantage of the stage to propagandize US' Indo-Pacific Strategy and to point finger at China.

Zhang Zhenzhong, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department in the Central Military Commission, told reporters on Saturday at the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, that the Indo-Pacific Strategy is designed to trap the Asia-Pacific region into a geopolitical game and confrontation as it tries to form a small circle by roping in some countries to incite against others. It seriously impacts the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture and seriously harms the overall and long-term interests of countries in the region, he added.

"The US has already turned the Middle East and Europe into a mess, does it want to mess up Asia-Pacific next?" Zhang asked, adding that this is absolutely not allowed.

Zhang said the US' strategy is designed to destroy peace. The mainstream voice of Asia-Pacific countries is peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, but the US, in contrast, advocates competition between major powers and creates military confrontation, sending warplanes to showcase its military might in the South China Sea, launching military drills with allies, which all created tensions in the region. In conclusion, Zhang said that strategy served US' own interests against the common will of the regional countries, and stressed that for these reasons it must not succeed.

Austin on Saturday gave an hour-long speech themed "Next Steps for the United States' Indo-Pacific Strategy," in which he called the strategy "our priority theater of operations" and "at the heart of American grand strategy."

He also openly criticized China for being "coersive and aggressive."

Austin specifically raised the Taiwan question. "The stakes are especially stark in the Taiwan Strait," he said, adding that US' policy on Taiwan was to remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo. "Our policy hasn't changed. But unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be true for the PRC," Austin noted.

Austin's rhetoric can be translated as the US opposes China's reunification, Song Zhongping, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times.

With this is mind, Song said that Pentagon and the White House are attempting to internationalize and complicate the Taiwan question, which is a matter of China's domestic affairs.

This mentality has been refuted by China in multiple occasions, including during the face-to-face meeting between China's State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and Austin in Singapore on Friday.

There is only one China, and Taiwan is a sacred, inalienable part of China's territory, Wei told Austin, noting that if anyone dares to separate Taiwan island from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to fight, and will resolutely crush any "Taiwan independence" attempts at all cost to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Saturday, Zhang also responded to Austin's hype over Taiwan question. Taiwan question is China's domestic affairs, the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US ties, on which successive US governments have made clear commitments. President Joe Biden also stated that he does not support "Taiwan independence," but the US' words are obviously not matched by its deeds, and Washington has kept playing the Taiwan card, severely obscuring and hollowing out the one-China policy, Zhang added.

Zhang said that the Taiwan question can most likely lead China-US ties to conflict and confrontation. If not handled properly, it will have a subversive impact on the relationship between the two countries. There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole China. This is the only correct understanding of "one China." The reunification of China is the aspiration of Chinese people, and the national rejuvenation is unstoppable. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will stand ready to defend the country's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity at all costs.

Hyping PLA's intercepts

"We've seen an alarming increase in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea by PLA aircraft and vessels," Austin said in his speech.

In response to the remarks, Zhang said at the media briefing that the incident occurred near the maritime and airspace of China's Xisha and Nansha islands, not in the adjacent sea and airspace of US allies. The actions taken by the Chinese military are necessary measures to deal with the provocations, and are reasonable, safe and professional.

Prior to the Shangri-La Dialogue, China has already denounced Australian and Canadian "disinformation" over jet encounters. The two countries, however, turning a blind eye to the warnings from the Chinese side, kept carrying out close-in reconnaissance and provocative activities by surveillance planes in East and South China Seas. "This is a dangerous act against China's national security and the safety of Chinese and Canadian front-line personnel," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a Regular Press Conference on June 6.

These days, there has been analysis that the reason why Canada and Australia have not stopped hyping up the case is to create topics for the ongoing dialogue over Asian security, taking "China threat" theory to a new level.

He Lei, lieutenant general and former vice president of the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, who is attending the Shangri-La Dialogue, told Global Times that Austin's accusations against PLA's aircraft interception obviously aimed at endorsing Canada and Australia, reinforcing US-led small circles. Austin talks about "common vision" in Indo-Pacific region, but what Washington has shown is its clear-targeted and exclusive behaviors, He added.

Most barefaced accusations

Austin also hyped up territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific region, naming East and South China Sea issues, and border disputes with India. "Indo-Pacific countries shouldn't face political intimidation, economic coercion, or harassment," Austin said. "We'll do our part to manage these tensions responsibly," he added.

Lieutenant General He said Austin's speech is the most blatant and most comprehensive slander against China compared to previous US defense chiefs' remarks at the summit, as this is the first time that a Pentagon chief raised Taiwan question, the South China Sea, the East China Sea issue, and China-India border dispute all at the same time.

Zhao Xiaozhuo, a research fellow at the Academy of Military Sciences of the PLA, told the Global Times that US real intention is to boost its alliance system, mobilizing its allies to maintain the US' versions of rules-based international order, shaping China's peripheral environment, piling enough pressure on China and eventually realize the containment of China's emergence.

Observers say Austin's speech mirrors that the US opposes everything China does to safeguard its own national security and interests. And it is largely due to incitement of outside forces, especially the US and its allies, contradictions and disputes in Indo-Pacific region come to where it is today.

By hyping up tensions and so-called China threat, the US is trying to drive a wedge between China and regional countries, while kidnapping more countries to its side to coordinate with its Indo-Pacific Strategy. And the US could paint itself as "entitled" to play the role as an arbitrator of the region, far away from its own soil, and take Asian affairs under its control, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times.

However, most Asian countries do not want to take a side in major power games. During the 2019 Shangri-La Dialogue, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong raised concerns, "Unfortunately, when the lines start to get drawn, everybody asks: Are you my friend or not my friend? And that makes it difficult for the small countries."

On the Taiwan question, the majority of regional countries refuse to dance to the US tune, as they are well aware that the US is an outsider, and has no right to intervene in China's domestic affairs, Wei said.

Hegemonic mentality

During the speech Austin brought up the so-called rules-based international order to cover US intentions. He took the Russia-Ukraine conflict as an example. "The Ukraine crisis poses some urgent questions for us all... And I am here because the rules-based international order matters just as much in the Indo-Pacific as it does in Europe," he said.

This is an arrogant, hegemonic mentality, Wei told Global Times. Wei said the so-called rules are not at all fair and square rules which are accepted by the international community, but a US-dominated one, in which the US is the one and only boss and other has to listen to it.

The Ukraine crisis is a proof that US-led rules have caused great harm to US allies and Europe as a whole. Not to mention the emerging energy and food crisis, increasing European countries are losing their diplomatic independence and autonomy, experts said.

During the ongoing Summit of the Americas, questions toward US-led rules-based orders are surfacing. It signals that be it Indo-Pacific regions or wider range of the international community, hypes of the US over so-called tensions will find fewer countries to join in the chorus, Wei said.

Although the US has this intention to shape events, and it has some followers like Japan, Australia and those who are far from the region like the UK and Canada, it's plan won't be realized, said Lü Xiang, an expert on international relations and US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Only the countries with enough power and strength, as well as the support from the most regional countries, are able to shape the strategic environment in a specific region. In the Asia-Pacific region, the US is not such a country, but China is," he said.

Although Austin outlined some ambitious plans in his speech, but it's questionable to all regional countries that to what extent the US can make its plan come true, experts said.

The countries named by Austin, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam all have stable and friendly ties with China. Even if there are some differences or disputes, they prefer to solve the problems with China rather than be blindly used by the US to pay for its costly confrontation with China, said analysts. 

 Source link

CHINA PEACEFUL RISE

 

RELATED ARTICLES

 

Update: Yang-Sullivan meeting draws bottom line for US 

The latest Yang-Sullivan meeting, which came after US President's Asia trip that was widely seen as Washington's concrete efforts o

 

US unqualified to say maintaining peace, stability in Taiwan Straits: Global Times editorial

On Sunday, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe delivered a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, elaborating "China's vision of regional order." He once again stated China's solemn position on the Taiwan question: China will definitely realize its reunification, that peaceful reunification is the greatest wish of the Chinese people and that if anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China, it will not hesitate to fight and will fight at all costs.

 

 

Chinese defense minister vows to fight ‘Taiwan independence’ in 1st face-to-face meeting with Austin

Chinese military will not hesitate in crushing any ‘Taiwan independence’ moves, Defense Minister Wei tells US defense secretary

China, S.Korea defense chiefs agree to enhance exchanges, as a peaceful peninsula is in their interests

Chinese and South Korea defense ministers exchanged views on Friday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, which observers ...

Hyping 'China threat' in Shangri-La Dialogue, Kishida will send aftershocks of European geopolitical earthquake to Asia

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday. Before the curtain goes up, Japanese media reports have already sent a signal – Kishida has come with ill intentions. .

 

  Chinese nuclear force development impressive; new weapons commissioned: Defense Minister

Having developed its capabilities for over five decades, China's nuclear force has seen impressive progress, with new weapons and the equipment displayed at the National Day military parade in 2019 all commissioned to the Chinese armed forces, said State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe on Sunday.

 

  Stop playing the 'Taiwan card', US told

 https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/06/13/stop-playing-the-taiwan-card-us-told

The Star

Related post:

 

 

China leaves no doubt it will fight to crush 'Taiwan independence':
China Daily

 

 

Related posts

19th Shangri-La Dialogue kicks off in Singapore, China draws security red line to US at defense ministers

  Policemen carry out their duties for the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 10, 2022. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)\   Impor...

 

 

‘China free to set Asia policy’

       Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Indian Prime Minister ...

 

 

Is it arrogance or inferiority to engage in ‘critical dialogue’ with China?: Global Times editorial

 China US Illustration: Liu Rui/GT The Chinese-language website of Deutsche Welle on Tuesday published a commentary entitled "Maintain...

 

World needs more than ‘beautiful words’ from the US: Global Times editorial

 

Unmasking the superpower America, the 'Dark Lord' set on destroying international order

19th Shangri-La Dialogue kicks off in Singapore, China draws security red line to US at defense ministers

 

Policemen carry out their duties for the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 10, 2022. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)\

 

Important topics on the agenda of the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue include China's vision on regional order, geopolitical competition control, and climate and maritime security.

SINGAPORE, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The 19th Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), opened here Friday evening after a two-year COVID-19 pandemic hiatus.

Leading the Chinese delegation to the dialogue, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe will address a plenary session on Sunday.

He is expected to introduce China's policy, principles and actions on safeguarding true multilateralism, regional peace and stability, and building a shared future for humanity.

Wei, on the sidelines of the dialogue, are to meet heads of other delegations on international and regional situation, as well as bilateral cooperation on defense and security.

Important topics on the agenda of the dialogue include China's vision on regional order, geopolitical competition control, and climate and maritime security.

Since its launch in 2002 by the British think tank IISS with the support of the Singaporean government, the Shangri-La Dialogue, officially known as the Asia Security Summit, has been held annually except for 2020 and 2021. ■

Asean, global leaders discuss regional security after two years suspension - Delayed dialogue finally underway

 

Security check: A vehicle being screened before it enters Shangri-La Hotel while the dialogue gets underway in Singapore. — Reuters

THE 19th Shangri-La Dialogue began here after a two-year suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing mainly on security in the Asia-Pacific region and viable solutions, including the China-proposed Global Security Initiative (GSI).

The three-day summit will hold seven plenary sessions, two ministerial roundtable meetings and three simultaneous special sessions for delegates from more than 40 countries to exchange views on regional and global security issues.

Senior defence ministers from South-East Asia and the wider Asia region, Europe, North America and the Middle East are also expected to attend and speak at the Dialogue.

According to the agenda, Chinese State Councillor and Minister of National Defence Wei Fenghe will address a plenary session and is expected to introduce China’s policy, principles and actions on safeguarding true multilateralism, regional peace and stability, and building a shared future for humanity.

A highlight of the summit is China’s GSI, seen as another global public good that contributes Chinese solutions and wisdom to address global security challenges.

Analysts said the initiative’s implementation will attract enormous attention at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

“We look forward to welcoming Wei Fenghe to the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue and to hearing his views at this critical time for the regional and global security order,” said James Crabtree, executive director of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia.

Mahmud Ali, associate fellow of the Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya, said China’s GSI can be interpreted as a step toward developing “a community with a shared future”.

The GSI views humanity as an indivisible, singular and united body sharing a single home planet, whose security affects every individual and society and therefore must be defended and advanced collectively, he said.

The expert believed that the vision has expanded the dimension of security from its “narrowly-defined political-military parameters” to “focus on the shared nature of planetary existence, dilute the emphases on divergences, and enable collaborative approaches to tackling trans-border challenges”.

Other topics for discussion include managing geopolitical competition in a multipolar region, the Myanmar situation, climate security and maritime security.

Meanwhile, analysts also cautioned that the United States may use Asia’s top security meeting this week to further pitch its Indo-Pacific Strategy, during which US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will make a speech titled “Next Steps for the United States’ Indo-Pacific Strategy.”

Senior Colonel Zhang Chi, an associate professor at the National Defence University of China, told Xinhua that the United States has spared no effort in implementing its Indo-Pacific Strategy to isolate China, divide Asian countries and undermine the central role of Asean in the region.

Additionally, Washington is trying to stoke tensions in the region by stirring up sensitive security issues involving Taiwan and the South China Sea to establish a “Nato for the Asia-Pacific” to encircle China, he added.

“Its purpose is to contain China’s development, coerce or induce countries in the region to take sides with either China or the United States,” Zhang noted, adding that it will “destroy regional solidarity and harmony and cause split, or even conflicts”. — Xinhua

  Source link

 China draws security red line to US at defense ministers’ longer-than-expected first meeting

Chinese and US defense chiefs hold their first face-to-face meeting in Singapore on June 10, 2022. Photo: Li Xiaowei

 

The Chinese military won't hesitate to fight anyone who dares to separate the island of Taiwan from China, China's State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during their first meeting in Singapore at the International Institute for Strategic Studies' (IISS) 19th Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday.

With the purpose to use Taiwan island and topics on the South China Sea to hype "China threat," the US seeks to build an iron curtain between China and other Asian countries and to implement its "Indo-Pacific Strategy" by rallying allies, analysts said, noting that China is drawing a bottom line by reiterating its firm stance on the Taiwan question.

After being canceled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IISS 19th Shangri-La Dialogue is taking place in Singapore from Friday to Sunday. The talks between Wei and Austin on Friday were the first meeting between Chinese and US defense ministers since Austin took office in January 2021.

Topics on the island of Taiwan, South China Sea, and the Ukraine crisis had been discussed at the defense ministers' meeting.

Two Su-35 fighter jets and a H-6K bomber fly in formation on May 11, 2018. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force conducted patrol training over China's island of Taiwan on Friday. Su-35 fighter jets flew over the Bashi Channel in formation with the H-6Ks for the first time, which marks a new breakthrough in island patrol patterns, said Shen Jinke, spokesperson for the PLA air force.Photo:China Military

Two Su-35 fighter jets and a H-6K bomber fly in formation on May 11, 2018. Photo:China Military

There is only one China, and Taiwan is a sacred, inalienable part of China's territory, Wei told Austin, noting that if anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to fight, and will resolutely crush any "Taiwan independence" attempts at all cost to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense,  said at a press conference after the meeting..

Austin reiterated to Wei that the US remains committed to its longstanding one-China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three US-China Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances. However, he also "reaffirmed" opposition to "unilateral changes to the status quo," according to a press release from the US Department of Defense.

The Chinese defense minister's remarks stressed China's bottom line for the US as Washington has ramped up efforts to link the Russia-Ukraine conflict with the Taiwan question and create tensions in the region, analysts said. They lashed out at the US for taking "a sausage cutting" strategy to hollow out its one-China policy gradually and intensify the situation at the Taiwan Straits.

Analysts said the US is attempting to shift its EU allies' focus to the Asia-Pacific region and also consolidate its alliance in Asia.

Japan is the one that closely follows the US in using the current Russia-Ukraine crisis to hype the Chinese mainland's "threat" to the island of Taiwan. apanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida used the Russia-Ukraine conflict as an example to oppose "unilateral changes" to the status quo by force and unveil a plan to raise Japan's defense budget

The US and its allies have stepped up efforts to promote the implementation of the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" this year, as it is trying to build an iron curtain between China and others in the Asia-Pacific region, Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.

Yang said that the biggest difference in this year's Shangri-La Dialogue is that the Asia-Pacific region is now facing an unprecedented strategic instability. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has spilled over to the world. NATO is going global, and Western countries have deliberately added fuel to the fire by linking Ukraine with Taiwan, which are irrelevant.

The US had built QUAD, AUKUS, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, but China decided to confidently face them or integrate into them, Yang said, pointing out that China's choice to send its top defense official this year at this sensitive time shows China's confidence and strategic focus, as well as China's strategic sincerity of pushing the Asia-Pacific to integration and cooperation standing at the crossroads.

Frank exchanges

Wei and Austin's meeting on Friday is of significance to implementing the important consensus between the two countries' top leaders and pushing forward the development of the two countries' military ties, said Senior Colonel Wu, noting the conversation was a frank, positive and constructive strategic communication.

Both sides agreed that the two militaries should carefully implement the key consensus reached by the two countries' top leaders, keep frequent communication and manage risks and crises, Wu noted.

The meeting between Chinese and US defense ministers is an exchange of views at this historic moment, as China pushes the region toward integration and cooperation and away from separation and Cold War, Yang said.

The significance of the meeting is that it proved the two countries' high-level conversation is sustainable. Even if the two sides crossed swords with words, being able to exchange views in a frank manner means both sides are willing to implement the consensus reached by the two countries' top leaders, Yang said.

The conversation between the Chinese and US defense ministers has a positive meaning to the deepening of strategic communication, the exploration in the construction of a "guardrail" for China-US relations, as well as the management of risk, Cao Yanzhong, a research fellow at the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), told the Global Times on Friday.

When it comes to the "guardrail" for China-US relations the US wants to build, China has already drawn three bottom lines the US should not cross during the two countries' meetings in Anchorage and Tianjin. The US should keep its promises, stop making provocations on the Taiwan question, stop expanding and enhancing military alliances and partnerships in its attempt to "shape security environment of China," and stop trade sanctions and technology blockades, and take real actions to stabilize China-US relations and promote peace, Cao said.

However, as the US insists on defining the bilateral relations with major power competition, there are two options for such competition to evolve: it can escalate to conflict, or it can pave the way for cooperation, Zhang Yingli, former professor at the International College of Defense Studies at the PLA's National Defense University, told the Global Times on Friday.

The US military frequently carries out close-in reconnaissance and make provocations on China, and China's frontline troops have garnered rich experience and skills as they deal with them. This means Chinese troops can carry out their duties in safeguarding national sovereignty very professionally and avoid possible accidents that could lead to crises from happening as much as possible, Zhang said.

Analysts noted the US should also immediately stop arms sales to and military cooperation with the island of Taiwan, stop the highly frequent close-in reconnaissance on China as well as stop stirring up regional confrontation and security tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. 

 Source link

 

RELATED ARTICLES

 

Chinese delegation says Indo-Pacific Strategy 'fanning confrontation' as US defense chief made ...

US' Indo-Pacific Strategy is aimed at maintaining US hegemony, creating divisions and fanning confrontation, the Chinese delegation said, refuting US ...

China engages US and regional countries at Shangri-La dialogue 'with confidence, determination to safeguard sovereignty, national interest, regional peace'

The Chinese military delegation engaged in a series of dialogue and meetings with the US and other Asian countries including South Korea and Singapore, as well as the leader of Singapore, during the ongoing Shangri-La Dialogue, which successfully made clear China's stance on safeguarding regional peace and its determination to defend itself against all offensive attempts that could harm China's sovereignty and national interests.

 China engages US and regional countries at Shangri-La dialogue 'with confidence, determination ...

The Chinese military delegation engaged in a series of dialogue and meetings with the US and other Asian countries including ...

• Showing 'not hesitant to fight' attitude helps peace across Taiwan Straits: Global Times editorial
• 

The Shangri-La Dialogue focuses on military security agenda, the most sensitive area in relations between countries. This US-Western-dominated forum has left a deep impression on people that it has been targeting China. China sent its defense minister to ...

 Hyping 'China threat' in Shangri-La Dialogue, Kishida will send aftershocks of European geopolitical earthquake to Asia

 

Chinese defense minister vows to fight ‘Taiwan independence’ in 1st face-to-face meeting with Austin

Chinese military will not hesitate in crushing any ‘Taiwan independence’ moves, Defense Minister Wei tells US defense secretary

The illegal transfer of nuclear weapons materials involved in AUKUS cannot be denied: Chinese envoy

Japan hijacks Asia with NATO collusion push, endangers region

 Lab leak theory a ‘lie’ cooked up by anti-China forces: FM

Interview: U.S. should reflect on its own abuses ... - Xinhua

Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022: Only true multilateralism can benefit the world, Xi proposes Global Security Initiative, sends signal of peace, stability amid global turmoil

 Photo shows the fountain square in front of the permanent site of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in Boao, South China's Hainan Province, on April 19, 2022. Photo: cnsphoto From the Global Development Initiative to the Global Security Initiative, China has always been a firm practitioner of true multilateralism. History will continue to prove that such a choice is on the right side of the history and on the side of human progress.

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, on April 21, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

The Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022 is being held in Boao, Hainan Province, from April 20 to April 22. The theme of this year's forum is "The World in COVID-19 and Beyond: Working Together for Global Development and A Shared Future." In a keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the forum on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a Global Security Initiative, emphasizing the need to uphold "true multilateralism" and that it is particularly important for major countries to lead by example in honoring equality, cooperation, good faith and the rule of law, and act in a way befitting their status.

At present, the changes in the world, the times, and history are unfolding in an unprecedented way. At a time when unprecedented global changes are combined with a once-in-a-century pandemic, the world is at the crossroads of unity or division, cooperation or confrontation, upholding justice or hegemony. Xi's emphasis on "true multilateralism" is of great significance for lighting the way forward for international society to move on and promote peaceful development.

What is true multilateralism? It is, after all, that international affairs should be handled by all through consultations and the future and destiny of the world will be jointly decided by all countries. Such "true multilateralism" cannot be separated from the United Nations, therefore we must firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core; it cannot be separated from the international law, so we must unwaveringly uphold the international order underpinned by international law; it cannot be separated from global cooperation, so major powers need to lead by example in upholding justice, enforcing the rule of law, taking responsibility, and focusing on actions.

When representatives from 42 countries and regions were discussing regional solidarity and cooperation at the Boao forum, Washington was hosting the G20 Finance Ministers and the Central Bank Governors meeting. Finance ministers of countries including the US and Canada walked out when the Russian delegate spoke, staging a show of "political protest"at an international multilateral economic cooperation forum. The US supports a draft resolution to adjust the use of the veto by permanent members of the UN Security Council. All those acts are weakening and jeopardizing multilateralism and multilateral mechanisms.

In stark contrast, Asia is "climbing the hill together and going down the ravine together" and making "sugarcane and lemongrass grow in dense clumps." In 2021, the region withstood the pressure of the raging COVID-19 pandemic and led the global economic recovery. Measured by purchasing power parity, Asia accounted for 47.4 percent of the world's economy in 2021. From taking the lead in advocating the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit, to jointly promoting the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, Asian countries have made maintaining and practicing multilateralism in the region to transform from an experiment to a model, through all-round and broad-based win-win cooperation.

However, for Washington accustomed to creating rivals and stirring up trouble around the world to gain benefits, the stability and prosperity of Asia have become a thorn in its flesh. To seize the moral high ground and sugarcoat its geopolitical ambitions, Washington has even packaged its so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy as "multilateralism." It also has attempted to disturb regional peaceful development by strengthening its "multilateral mechanisms," including its "quadrilateral mechanism" and "trilateral security partnership." If we want to practice "true multilateralism," we must be wary of and oppose such "fake multilateralism."

It is clear that a lot of unrest, division, and poverty have been created in different parts of the world under practices of prioritizing one country's interests, making coteries that uphold hegemony, treating international rules as a tool for the interests of one nation, using a certain country's interests as the criteria, and engaging in "selective multilateralism." The US is still using the Russia-Ukraine conflict to further divide the world into camps and keeps pressuring neutral countries to "take sides." Such a "fake multilateralism" sometimes is deceptive to some extent, but more and more countries have seen through it and denied any attempts to stir up troubles globally or seize geopolitical "fruits."

As a Chinese saying goes, "Power may win for the time being, but justice will prevail for the long run." All countries across the world are in the same boat with a shared destiny. We must work together to sail through the stormy seas to a bright future. Any attempt to throw whoever into the sea is unacceptable. From the Global Development Initiative to the Global Security Initiative, China has always been a firm practitioner of true multilateralism. History will continue to prove that such a choice is on the right side of the history and on the side of human progress.

Source link.  

 Xi proposes Global Security Initiative at Boao Forum, 'sends signal of peace, stability amid global turmoil’...

Solidarity stressed amid global changes, injects confidence in economic recovery

Xi proposes Global Security Initiative at Boao Forum, 'sends signal of peace, ...

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a global security initiative which stressed a commitment to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative ...

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech via video link at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022 held in Boao, Hainan Province. Here are some highlights of his remarks (4/12)

China's multilateralism pledge at Boao Forum helps safeguard world security amid pandemic, conflict

China's commitment to multilateralism and opening-up is reassuring to a world faced with rising security risks, academics and delegates attending the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) 2022 said on Wednesday, as the international forum amid a new round of epidemic ...

Multilateralism, regional integration will ease supply chain problems: Boao Forum

The ongoing global supply chain crisis should be tackled by the major economies leading by example through multilateral consultation, economists and delegates attending the Boao Forum for Asia 2022 said.

 

Boao Forum is a Chinese message about world collaboration in the post-pandemic era: envoy

Despite global challenges, the Boao Forum for Asia held in South China's Hainan Province, sent the world an important message of global collaboration and development while addressing new opportunities in Asian regional cooperation to overcome economic hurdles in the post-pandemic era, the Mongolian Ambassador to China said on Thursday.

 

Related posr:

 

BOAO Forum 2016: Asia's New Future - New Dynamics, New Vision