Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 2nd Wanshou Dialogue on Global Security

Ma Biao, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC and President of the CPAPD

July 2nd, 2019, Wanshou Hotel, Bejing

Your Excellency Mr.Sergey Ordzhonikidze, Vice-President of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation,

Your Excellency Mr.Somphanh Phengkhammy, Vice-President of the National Assembly of Laos,

Your Excellency Mr.Douglas Bandow, Special Assistant to former U.S.President Ronald Reagan,

Distinguished guests, delegates,

I am very pleased to meet with our friends in Beijing.I would like to take this opportunity,on behalf of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, to extend our warm welcome to the distinguished guests and representatives attending the Second Wanshou Dialogue on Global Security.

President Xi Jinping points out that the world today is facing profound changes unseen in the past century.Currently, the mega-trend of peaceful development is irreversible.However,the competition among major powers is obviously intensified, the regional security order is profoundly readjusted, the impact of newly emerging science and technology on global security is getting increasingly prominent, security concepts are interacting with each other, traditional security issues and non-traditional security issues are intertwined,and sources of global turbulence and risky spots are increasing, humankind still faces many common challenges.We should adhere to the primary idea of peace, shoulder the responsibility of the times, and contribute our wisdom and strength to the maintenance of international and regional peace, security and stability.I would like to share some views with you:

First, we should become a booster of security cooperation among major countries.Today's relations among major powers in the world are generally stable, their dialogue, exchanges and cooperation are continuing.However, precaution, antagonism and even confrontation among major countries are becoming increasingly prominent.Wrongdoings such as blackmail, pressure and sanctions are frequently seen, so the international security architecture is still in the process of profound adjustment.

Major countries bear special responsibilities for world peace.We hope that the major powers will strengthen coordination, manage and control differences, enhance mutual trust, build a framework for major country relations featured by overall stability and balanced development, build more inclusive and constructive partnerships, and promote cooperation among major powers to jointly respond to international security threats.

Second, we should become coolants for regional hot issues.In today's world, wars,conflicts and instability still plague many regions; terrorist activities are rampant; people in many countries, especially children, suffer from the devastation of war.Hot issues such as Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Iran nuclear issue, issues of Syria, Palestine and Afghanistan need to be properly settled.

Regional hotspots have become the wound of human civilization.We hope to have conflicts and disputes settled peacefully,oppose provoking incidents and intensifying contradictions for selfishness, and oppose beggar-thy-neighbors and benefiting oneself at the cost of others.We should strive to explore a security framework that meets the real situation of the region and the needs of all parties, and promote the realization of cooling and relaxation of regional hot spots.

Third, we should become a think tank for dealing with security challenges.The vigorous development of the new round of global technological and industrial revolutions has brought both development opportunities and security challenges.Non-traditional security challenges are increasing, militarized employment of newly emerging technologies has brought huge negative impacts on global security, as well as competition and games-play in the fields of cyber network, outer space and artificial intelligence are reshaping security order and security governance model.

Security challenge is a hard problem facing mankind.We should keep pace with the times,keep abreast with the development frontier of new science and technology, study the general trend, command the direction, and seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.In emerging areas such as the cyber network and outer space, we should actively promote countries to jointly establish new mechanisms,formulate new rules, and create a new platform for win-win cooperation.

Fourth, we should become a leader in practicing the new concept of security.Nowadays, various security concepts collide with each other fiercely, populism,protectionism, isolationism and other thinking trends continuously emerge.Some countries still adhere to the Cold War thinking of "either winner or loser " and zero-sum game, promote unilateralism and power politics, thus, global security governance faces many difficulties.

The new era calls for a new concept of security.We should extensively publicize the concept of peace and practice a new concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.We need to take a clear-cut stand against unilateralism and protectionism and pursue a win-win, multi-win and all-win concept.We should strengthen communication and exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and firmly adhere to the global governance concept of extensive consultation,joint contribution and shared benefits, so as to pursue peace and promote security with cooperation and inject stability and positive energy into the uncertain world.

In the age of globalization, we share security and insecurity together.As ancient Chinese goes, a drop of water cannot make a sea while a single tree cannot make a forest.I wish all your distinguished guests and representatives to have in-depth exchanges,brainstorming, consensus building and strength pooling during the seminar to make a positive contribution to the construction of a world of lasting peace and universal security.