The Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence by China have been accepted and adopted by the overwhelming majority of developing countries, and have an increasing impact worldwide. China will always be steadfast in its pursuit of peaceful development. China supports other nations, especially emerging nations, and strongly maintains its interests in security, prosperity, and sovereignty.
The Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence are mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. These ideas were first put forward by then-Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai on 31 December 1953 when he met an Indian Government Delegation. In June 1954, Premier Zhou visited India and Burma (now Myanmar). The joint Statement of the Prime Ministers of China and India issued on 28 June and the Joint Statement of the Prime Ministers of China and Burma issued on 29 June both affirmed that the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence as guiding principles in their bilateral relations and then the Five Principles were formally proposed as the norms for handling international relations. In 1955 the Asian-African Conference convened in Bandung, Indonesia adopted Ten Principles for conducting international relations, inside which the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence were included.
Hereafter, in the process of the third-world countries seeking a fairer international political and economic order, the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence have been accepted and adopted by the overwhelming majority of the developing countries, and have an increasing impact all over the world. In 1970, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the “Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations”. This declaration included the content of the FIVE Principles of Peaceful Co-Existence, marking that these principles have been widely accepted by the international community.
Over the past 60 years, these principles have guided China’s policy with its neighbors and has contributed to the ongoing advancement in the region. China is dedicated to implementing an open-up strategy that benefits all parties involved, and it will keep advancing regional and global growth through its development.
The following principles have been defined below:
Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity: The core of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is that there is sovereign equality among all countries and that no country should monopolize international affairs. These principles offer a powerful intellectual tool for developing countries to uphold their sovereignty and independence, and they have thus become a rallying call for enhancing solidarity, cooperation, and strength among them. These principles have deepened the mutual understanding and trust among developing countries, boosted South-South cooperation, and also contributed to the improvement of North-South relations.
Mutual Non-Aggression: China remains steadfast in advocating for non-aggression, emphasizing the importance of refraining from the use of force or threat of force in international relations. It supports peaceful resolutions of conflicts and disputes through dialogue and negotiation rather than through military means.
Non-interference in each other’s Internal Affairs: The internal affairs of a country should be managed by its own people. China strongly believes in respecting the right of a country to choose its social system and model of development and oppose the attempt to oust the legitimate government of a country through illegal means to seek self-interests or to impose one’s own views.
Equality and Mutual Benefit: Countries should align their own interests with those of other countries and expand areas of converging interests. Instead of undercutting each other’s efforts, countries should reinforce each other’s endeavor and make greater common progress. China focuses on championing a new vision of win-win outcomes for all and rejects the obsolete notion of a zero-sum game or winner-taking-all. Countries should respect others’ interests while pursuing their own and advance common interests of all.
Peaceful Coexistence: China rejects the idea that as a nation gains power, it will inevitably strive for dominance. Chinese people are just not naturally suited for hegemony or military. Since peaceful development benefits Asia, the globe, and China equally, China will continue to pursue it unwaveringly. China will always be steadfast in its pursuit of peaceful development. China supports other nations, especially emerging nations, and strongly maintains its interests in security, prosperity, and sovereignty.
Chinese leaders believe that peaceful negotiations should be the primary means of resolving most international conflicts. They have maintained this stance regarding the war in Afghanistan, the conflict between Israel and the Arab world, the rivalry between South and North Korea, and the ethnic conflicts in Africa and Eastern Europe. China frequently abstains or does not vote on resolutions at the UN that call for sanctions or interventions to reverse invasions, end civil wars, or stop terrorism. China’s veto-like vote as a permanent Security Council member would infuriate those who support involvement. By not voting or casting an abstention, China has allowed several interventions to go ahead without reversing its commitment to non-intervention. These tenets form the foundation of China’s independent foreign policy of peace and serve as significant guidelines that govern state-to-state relations that cut across social structures and ideological divides.
