Mutual Respect and Peace-Building

Enrique Lau Cortes

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Mutual Respect and Peace-Building

Enrique Lau Cortes

President of Soety for International Studies Panama and Director of Development Research Center, University of Panama

It is a great honor for me to participate in the grand international conference on peace-building. I would like to take this opportunity to briefly discuss some ideas.

"Respect between peoples and between countries means peace." This is a classic quote from former Mexican President Benito Juarez. Juarez, known as an "American hero", succeeded in overthrowing Massimelano the I rule in Mexico. After Masimileno the I was shot dead, Juarez successfully entered Mexico City, and stated in the declaration of July 15, 1867, and successfully led Mexico onto a road to peace.

I come from a small country in Central America, the Republic of Panama, 15,000 kilometers away from China. My motherland has 75, 517 square kilometers of territory, less than 4 million people, but it is famous for its geographical location and its important role in world trade.

We have made unremitting efforts to seek peace. Panama became independent from Spain on 28 November 1821. Then, at the call of the great liberator Simon Bolivar, we joined the Republic of Great Colombia. Separated from the Republic of Great Colombia on November 3, 1903, which was closely related to the construction of the Canal by the United States in Panama. According to an agreement signed with the United States, Panama granted land on both sides of the canal to the United States for construction and security measures. Since then, generations of Panamanians had fought to regain full territorial sovereignty. On January 9, 1964, a group of Panamanian students hoped to raise their national flag in the Old Canal District, which was opposed by American students, and led to conflicts. Finally, the US military intervened and killed 21 Panamanians. The incident was a turning point in Panama's sovereignty issue and led to the signing of theTorrijos-Carter Treaty on 7 September 1977.

How can a small country like Panama persuade a powerful country to return its strategic resources? The answer is to resolve conflicts peacefully. Than, General Omar Efrain Torrijos Herrera of Panama showed strong leadership and gained successful international support for our appeal, and President Jimmy Carter of the United States also demonstrated his wisdom.

We all know the adage, "All roads lead to Rome", but before arriving in Rome, "all roads pass through the Panama Canal". Since 2000, Panamanians have managed the canal themselves, providing continuous navigation services to the world. Panamanians know that we are the future architects of this country, and there is no free lunch in the world, so we should shoulder the responsibility of ensuring our people to live a better life. Now, we need not fight against foreign powers, our enemies are poverty, ignorance and marginalized poor. In today's world, the only weapon to break the shackles of ignorance is education, and only through education can freedom be truly achieved. Unfortunately, Panama is one of the most unfair areas on the planet. Both the public and private sectors suffer from corruption. There are still children who have no dinner to enjoy. There are still students who can't concentrate on their lessons with empty stomach. There are still many families that are broken up by poverty. Many men and women can't find decent jobs and can only become beggars. Poverty and inequality are stifling, and we still need to do a lot of work to provide people with the welfare they deserve.

Just as UNESCO points out, "If war is the product of people's thinking, the fortress of peace is also the product of people's thinking." Peacebuilding means not only the absence of war, but also many other tasks, such as improving people's living standards, increasing welfare, providing good education, developing vocational training and creating high-quality jobs. This is what every country should do. Only in this way can we defeat poverty, the greatest enemy of peace. Only eliminating poverty can people enjoy the welfare they deserve. To achieve these goals, we should not rely on charity or donation, but on mutual respect and listening to public opinion. International cooperation should create opportunities for all countries on the basis of win-win cooperation and equality, and all countries should fully consider each other's culture, principles and dignity. When all countries have good living conditions and give full play to their talents, can we have peace, which is the purpose of our gathering here.

I am a descendant of Chinese immigrants, and I know that no one will give us anything in vain, especially peace. If we need something, we must strive for it, work hard, observe discipline and take responsibility. Each of us is a builder of peace. Peace can only be built when we learn to treat our neighbors like brothers and truly seek common ground while reserving differences. We all take a positive view at the diplomatic relations between Panama and China, especially after Panama joins the Belt and Road Initiative, and the two sides have signed a series of important agreements. We look forward to Panama-China relations bringing happiness and peace to the two peoples.

(Edited excerpt of the paper to the observanct event in Nanjing in 2018)