Some Highlights of the International Day of Peace & China-South Asia Peace and Development Forum

By Peace Editors

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Some Highlights of the International Day of Peace & China-South Asia Peace and Development Forum

By Peace Editors

From September 21-22, 2013, the observance of the International Day of Peace 2013 & China-South Asia Peace and Development Forum were held in Kunming, Yunnan Province. These activities are sponsored by the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament (CPAPD), the UN System in China and Yunnan Provincial People’s government in association with Chinese Association for International Understanding, China NGO Network for International Exchanges, and China Foundation for Peace and Development. Li Yuanchao, CCCPC Political bureau Member and Vice President of China, Han Qide, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and CPAPD President attended and delivered speeches. Li Jiheng, Yunnan Provincial Governor made welcoming remarks, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent video congratulatory remarks. Officials and former officials of South Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Maldives as well as about 200 participants from South Asian countries and several hundred university teachers and students in Kunming totaling over 1000 attended the Opening Ceremony.

Making Joint Efforts to Maintain South Asia Lasting Peace

With the theme of “Education to Promote Peace and Cooperation to Pursue Win-win Prosperity—Common Aspiration of the Regional People, the International Day of Peace 2013 & China-South Asia Peace and Development Forum drew the curtain on the morning of 21 September in the Genghui Hall, Kunming. This observance of International Day of Peace was composed of opening and closing ceremony, high-level dialogue, 4 sub-forums and peaceful art exhibition, etc.

Li Yuanchao, CCCPC Political bureau Member and Vice President of China, delivered a key-note speech entitled Cooperative Development to Build South Asia Lasting Peace at the Opening Ceremony. He said that the theme of this year’s international day of peace is “Education for Peace”, which is highly relevant and reflects China’s consistent emphasis on education and the culture of peace over thousands of years. As the cradle of one of the four great ancient civilizations, South Asia used to be the most prosperous part of the world. Since modern times, however, invasions by Western colonizers have brought enormous sufferings to the region. The people of South Asia fought tenaciously for independence and liberalization, and finally embarked on a path of development of their own. In this process, the people of the region have forged a community of shared destiny. The people here, who have suffered for a long time from wars and chaos, share a common desire for lasting peace.

He emphasizes that the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation articulated by President Xi Jinping is a dream of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, which is consistent with the dream of the South Asian people. China is willing to peacefully coexist with our neighbors, including South Asian countries, on an equal footing, and always maitain good neighbors, good friends, and good partners with them.

Han Qide, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and CPAPD President pointed out that the world we are living in today is basically stable, but regional conflicts and turmoil have never stopped. The root cause lies in backward or unbalanced development. Given the fundamental role of education in promoting development, countries should start with education to safeguard peace. Promoting education for development and peace has become the common aspirations of peoples around the world including China and South Asia. He appeals to the participants to promote peaceful development and friendly cooperation between China and South Asia, safeguard lasting peace between us, facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation and contribute to common development.

At the Opening Ceremony, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s video congratulatory remarks were played. He believes that it carries significance to observe the International Day of Peace in the form of China-South Asia Peace and Development Forum, calls on to educate pupils in inclusive and mutual respect values, and build a world to accept diversified equality and integrate all sides. Renata Dessallien, Resident Coordinator of the UN System in China, in her remarks congratulated the CPAPD for the work it has been doing, and holds that education should help pupils to learn understanding and accept differences, learn to respect others, and learn to share aspirations to build a more equal, inclusive and peaceful world, and appeals to transform the past habits so as to build the Asian century into a global century to sustain peace and consolidate peace.

Foreign dignitaries such as H.E. Rb. Raouf Ibrahimi, Speaker of the Lower House of Afghanistan and Dr. S. S. Chaudhury, the Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament, etc. in their speeches at the Opening Ceremony unanimously argued that war can only be destructive and peace is a common need for mankind; this regional people have a common aspiration to live in a peaceful and harmonious environment and enjoy a indispensible respect; peace education is an important condition for building a peaceful world without violence, and hope through educating youth to upgrade cooperation level with China and other neighbors and jointly maintain peace and stability in South Asia.

Provincial Governor Li Jiheng, on behalf of Yunnan Province, welcome all participants to Yunnan, and emphasizes that Yunnan is connected to Southeast Asian and South Asian countries, and also shares with them culture, business and prosperity as well as a history-long friendship. With the growing regional integration, Yunnan’s exchanges and cooperation with them has increasingly deepened, the benefits for friendly cooperation are continuous. China needs through strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation, promoting mutual connection and mutual access and expanding cultural exchanges, to continuously enhance mutual trust and deepen friendship and cooperation. He stresses that Yunnan is ready to become a bridge and a tie for strengthening friendly cooperation between China and South Asian countries, carry on friendship, deepen cooperation and jointly pursue development.

Promoting New Development of China-South Asian Relations

On the morning of 21st, the High-level dialogue was held and the theme is Pooling Wisdom and Crystallizing Consensus -- Promoting New Development of China-South Asian Relations and with as topics Jointly Promoting South Asian Lasting Peace and New Thinking for Tangible Cooperation for two parallel groups hosted by L. General Pan Zhenqiang, CPAPD Adviser and former director of Strategic Studies of National Defense University and Mao Rubai, CPAPD Adviser and former Chair of Environment and Resources Protection Committee of Tenth NPC.

Participants had thought-provoking discussions over the two topics and believed that since the new century, the South Asian security situation has improved somewhat, but there still exist unstable factors, traditional security threats and non-traditional security threats impose a long-term challenge to the regional peace and stability. Besides, some countries in democratic transition witness increasing uncertainty of their domestic situation. Participants of Maldives and Myanmar made presentations on their domestic political situations and progress of the democratic process, and appeal to the international community to offer positive support instead of intervening into their internal affairs so as to prevent the situation from getting more complicated. Non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, extremism and spliticism are the key obstacles to the regional peace and stability. M. J. Abbasi, Vice President of Pakistan National Assembly said that Pakistan have suffered heavy economic losses and 40000 casualties in the course of anti-terrorism.

On these problems, the participants had heated discussions on how to maintain South Asian lasting peace. They believe that it is through the form of dialogue to settle the problems they face and the use of force at will should be opposed; coordination and cooperation with China be strengthened to jointly safeguard the regional security; anti-terrorism should not be given double standards with favorable terrorists branded as freedom fighters but unfavorable terrorists as terrorist organizations; anti-terrorism should address both the root-causes and symptoms, enhance international cooperation and completely eliminate terrorism through improving regional environment. Those participants hold that this China-South Asia Peace and Development Forum can serve as a good platform to achieve regional stability and security.

Since the new century, China’s economic relations with South Asian countries have been deepening, especially in the past decade, trade volume continuously expanded to US$93.0 billion in 2012 from only US$5.7 billion in 2000, up 26% annually. Yunnan Provincial leader Chou He emphasized that Yunnan Province, as the bridge for China to promote its opening toward the Southwest, is ready together with South Asian countries to jointly win economic prosperity, to jointly build infrastructure, to jointly assist enterprises cooperation, to jointly promote exchanges and communications, and to jointly protect ecological environment.

CPAPD Vice President Ma Wenpu and Afghanistan Lower House Speaker Ibrahimi watering tree of peace.

Participants from home and abroad also actively involved in the four sub-forum discussions with the topics of “Education to Promote Peace and Development”, “Win-win Cooperation for Mutual Benefit—Upgrading the Cooperation between China and South Asian Countries”, “Afghanistan’s Peace Rebuilding—A New Starting Point for Regional Countries’ Salvation and Cooperation”, “Opportunities and Challenges—the Historical Legacy and Innovative Growth of the Relations between China and South Asian Countries”. They shared thought-provoking discussions and ideas. They also toured Yunnan University, and planted a Forest of Peace with the University teachers and students.