According to the website of the Chinese Embassy in India, on August 3, Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong was interviewed in writing by India's "Force" magazine to expound his position and views on China's defense policy, global security initiatives, Sino-Indian relations, the US "Indo-Pacific Strategy", and the Taiwan issue. The transcript of the interview is as follows:
Q: China is India's largest neighbor, China's military modernization is advancing rapidly, and India has strong security concerns about China. Recently I published a book, "The Last War," and the core idea is that the Chinese army is very strong. Can you briefly introduce China's military construction and China's national defense policy?
A: August 1 this year marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The Chinese army is the people's army under the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of China, and over the past 95 years, it has cut through thorns and thorns all the way for national independence, people's liberation, and national prosperity and strength, and has made tremendous sacrifices, constantly moving from victory to victory. In recent years, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Army, the Chinese armed forces have carried out an unprecedented overall change of intensity, depth and breadth, realized a new system, a new structure, a new pattern, and a new appearance, and are moving forward towards the goal of building a world-class army in an all-round way.
Chinese people are peace-loving people, China's road is the road of peaceful development, and China's diplomacy is an independent peace diplomacy. We will unswervingly pursue a defensive national defense policy. China will never seek hegemony, never expand, and never seek a sphere of influence. Since the founding of New China, we have never invaded other countries, never engaged in proxy wars, and never participated in confrontations with military groups. At present, the century-old changes and world chaos are intertwined, and the theme of the times of peace and development is facing severe challenges, and China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order, a mediator of hotspot issues, and a provider of public goods. Facts have proved and will continue to prove that the Chinese armed forces have always been a firm force for safeguarding world peace, and the development of China's national defense forces has always been a positive factor in the growth of world peace forces.
China unswervingly follows the path of peaceful development and hopes that all countries will follow the path of peaceful development. China resolutely opposes hegemonism and power politics and will not sit idly by while national sovereignty, security and development interests are damaged. As a strong strategic support for safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, the Chinese military has the determination and ability to overcome all threats and challenges.
Thank you for telling me about the new book coming out and I'll read it when I have time.
Q: President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Security Initiative in April this year, which mentions the principle of "security is inseparable". China claims that the Global Security Initiative is a new security concept, but what is fundamentally different about it?
A: President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in April this year, putting forward the global security initiative for the first time, clearly answering the question of the times of "what kind of security concept does the world need and how can all countries achieve common security", and contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to make up for the peace deficit of mankind and cope with international security challenges. This is another international public good that China has provided after the Global Development Initiative.
The global security initiative is fundamentally different from the binary cold war mentality and the antiquated concept of zero-sum game, which is mainly reflected in five aspects: First, it insists on upholding international law and universally recognized norms of international relations, and opposes the replacement of universally recognized and fair international rules with self-determined and self-reliant rules; The second is to adhere to the principle of indivisibility of security, take universal security and common security as the guide, oppose the pursuit of their own security at the expense of the security of other countries, and oppose only enjoying security rights without fulfilling security obligations; The third is to adhere to the win-win thinking and unity spirit to safeguard international peace, oppose group politics and camp confrontation, and oppose exclusive "small circles" and "small groups"; The fourth is to adhere to the joint practice of true multilateralism, firmly safeguard the authority and status of the United Nations, oppose unilateralism and extreme self-interest, and oppose the arbitrary implementation of unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction"; Fifth, we should adhere to the inseparability of security and development, avoid the transformation of the development deficit into a security deficit, resolutely oppose decoupling and supply cut-off, and oppose the instrumentalization and weaponization of globalization.
In short, the Global Security Initiative advocates a new security concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable, and advocates that all countries in the world should embark on a new security path of dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and win-win rather than zero-sum.
Q: Like India, China is also a major troop contributor and major contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. In addition, some voices in Western society accuse China of expanding its military strength by participating in peacekeeping operations.
A: The Chinese military has participated in UN peacekeeping operations for 32 years. As the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and the largest military contributor to the permanent members of the UN Security Council, China has become a key factor and key force in UN peacekeeping operations. The Chinese military has participated in 25 UN peacekeeping operations, dispatched more than 40,000 people to carry out peacekeeping missions, and a total of 16 Chinese servicemen have sacrificed their precious lives for the cause of peacekeeping. China's peacekeeping forces have also actively promoted the economic and social development of the countries concerned, building and repairing more than 13,000 kilometers of new roads and receiving more than 170,000 patient visits in the peacekeeping mission area.
When President Xi Jinping attended the UN Peacekeeping Summit in 2015, he announced six commitments to support UN peacekeeping operations, and has now completed the 8,000-strong peacekeeping standby force. At the same time, the composition of China's peacekeeping force has expanded from a single service to a multi-service service, the type of task has changed from support to comprehensive multi-functional, and the operational objectives have extended from stopping armed conflicts to building lasting peace. China's participation in UN peacekeeping operations is a concrete embodiment of our active performance of our responsibilities as a major country, and the relevant actions have been approved and deployed by the UN Security Council and decided on authorized tasks. In fact, the enhancement of China's military's peacekeeping capabilities is to better practice the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, which will bring more confidence and hope to the peaceful development of conflict areas and provide stronger strategic support for promoting world peace and development.
Q: How do you evaluate the current state of bilateral relations between China and India? How should the two countries improve and develop bilateral relations?
A: Since the beginning of this year, China and India have maintained communication and exchanges, effectively managed differences, coordinated and cooperated under multilateral frameworks such as the BRICS countries, the G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and bilateral relations have generally shown a momentum of recovery. China has always viewed and handled China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and has taken a positive attitude toward developing bilateral relations. Even when the relations between the two countries are facing difficulties, China's position has never wavered and has always been committed to promoting the return of the bilateral to a healthy and stable track.
China and India are neighboring ancient Asian civilizations, as well as large developing countries and emerging economies. The magnitude of the development task we face is unmatched by other countries. For example, we want to solve the problem of feeding a total of 2.8 billion people, which is related to the survival and development of nearly one-third of the world's population. We create tens of millions of new jobs every year, which is equivalent to the total population of many medium-sized countries. The first task of China and India is to do their own thing. In the face of century-long changes and the intertwining of the century-old epidemic, China and India need to work together to maintain the stability of the international order, promote regional peace and tranquility, and promote the recovery of the world economy. These problems cannot be solved by going it alone, but need to be addressed together through inter-State cooperation. Therefore, China and India should be partners rather than competitors. Win-win cooperation is the best choice for both countries.
Looking forward to the future, we should adhere to the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to dialogue and communication, and enhance political mutual trust. The two sides should focus on cooperation and expand the positive aspects of bilateral relations. There are indeed differences between China and India, but this is not the whole of the relations between the two countries, and we should seek common ground while reserving differences and properly control them. Both China and India are great powers. Just as elephants don't stop because of rocks, we should have the courage to cross obstacles and move on. I believe that as long as China and India deeply understand the importance of bilateral relations and work in the same direction, they will gradually explore a way for neighboring powers to coexist peacefully and develop together.
Question: Recently, China and India held the sixteenth round of military commander-level talks. More than two years after the border conflict occurred in 2020, what is the current state of the border situation, and how to gradually cool down the border tensions?
A: On July 17, China and India held the 16th round of military commander-level talks and issued a joint press release. On the basis of the previous round of talks, the two sides will continue to explore and promote the settlement of issues related to the Line of Actual Control in the western section of the China-India border in a constructive and forward-looking manner. Guided by the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, the two sides had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on resolving the remaining issues as soon as possible. The two sides agreed to maintain security and stability in the western section of the China-India border, continue to closely maintain diplomatic and military channels of communication and dialogue, and reach a mutually acceptable solution to the settlement of the remaining issues as soon as possible.
The border issue is an issue left over from history, and China has always advocated seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the border issue through consultation and negotiation. Until the border issue is finally resolved, the two sides should jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. Since the 2020 China-India border incident, China and India have held 16 rounds of military-level talks and 10 meetings on the consultation and coordination working mechanism on border affairs, and have achieved disengagement in many places in the western part of the border. The current border situation is generally stable. The two sides should continue to engage in dialogue through diplomatic and military channels to reach solutions to individual remaining issues acceptable to both sides as soon as possible, and promote the transition of the border situation from emergency handling to normal control.
Maintaining peace and tranquility along the border conforms to the fundamental interests of both sides and is also the common aspiration of both sides. Facts have proved that as mature and rational powers, as long as the two sides make joint efforts, China and India can properly control the border situation and avoid unfortunate incidents. We should insist on seeking a solution to the border issue through peaceful dialogue and not using the border issue to define bilateral relations. It is necessary to say more things that are conducive to enhancing mutual trust, do more things that are conducive to bilateral relations, promote the healthy and stable development of Sino-Indian relations, and create favorable conditions for the final settlement of the boundary issue.
Q: Since 2021, the Quadrilateral Mechanism has held four leaders' meetings, and at the Quadrilateral Mechanism Tokyo Summit in May this year, the four countries of the United States, Japan, India and Australia expressed their commitment to achieving a "free and open Indo-Pacific". Why is China critical of the "quadrilateral mechanism"?
A: For any mechanism or initiative, we must not only look at what it says, but also look at how it does it and what impact it has caused. In promoting the "Indo-Pacific strategy," the United States is singing high-profile slogans such as "promoting regional cooperation," "returning to multilateralism," and "safeguarding international rules." What the United States is doing is to attempt to establish a closed and exclusive circle, tie China's neighbors to anti-China chariots, and act as a strategic tool for the United States to contain and contain China. From strengthening the "Five Eyes Alliance" to peddling the "four-sided mechanism", piecing together a trilateral security partnership, and launching the "Indo-Pacific economic framework", the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" is becoming synonymous with camp confrontation, maintaining a hegemonic system led by the United States, impacting the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation structure, harming the overall and long-term interests of regional countries, and undermining global strategic stability and world peace and tranquility.
The Asia-Pacific region is a hot land for cooperative development, not a geopolitical chess game. Seeking peace, seeking development, promoting cooperation and striving for win-win results are the common visions of regional countries. China is willing to work with all parties to distinguish between right and wrong, adhere to the right path, resist the "Indo-Pacific" confrontation with the "small circle", jointly build a "big stage" for Asia-Pacific cooperation, and work together to move towards a community with a shared future in the Asia-Pacific region.
Q: China proposes genuine multilateralism, and India supports reformed multilateralism, and both countries are important participants in multiple regional and international mechanisms. India will host two summits next year, the SCO and the G20. What are the opportunities for India-China cooperation in the regional and multilateral fields?
A: As the world's largest developing country and an important country in the Asian region, China and India have maintained a good tradition of coordination and cooperation in regional and international affairs for a long time. In the 1950s, China, India and other countries jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which became the universally recognized basic norm of international relations. The two sides have worked together to uphold multilateralism and have carried out fruitful communication and coordination among multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the G20, brics and the SCO. In the face of a turbulent and changing world, China and India should go beyond the zero-sum thinking of "you lose and I win", adhere to the concept of peaceful coexistence, adhere to the goal of development and revitalization, adhere to the principle of independence and self-reliance, adhere to the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, carry forward Asian values, maintain regional peace and stability, advocate open regionalism, practice true multilateralism, contribute Asian strength to promoting world prosperity, provide oriental wisdom for improving global governance, and jointly write a new chapter in regional cooperation, Asian rejuvenation and global development.
Q: Since the Ukraine crisis, there has been a voice in the international community that Ukraine's today is Taiwan's tomorrow, and Chinese mainland poses a "huge military threat" to Taiwan. Others stress that Chinese mainland should "learn from the Ukraine crisis" and avoid isolation and sanctions like Russia. What do you think about that?
A: First of all, it must be pointed out that Taiwan is not Ukraine, and the Taiwan issue is fundamentally different from the Ukrainian issue and there is no comparison. The fundamental point is that Taiwan has never been a sovereign state, the one-China principle is the consensus of the international community, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair, and no foreign interference is tolerated.
Some forces in the international community deliberately compare the Taiwan issue with the Ukraine issue, not because they do not understand common sense, but with sinister intentions, in an attempt to take advantage of chaos by confusing the public opinion, to create tension in the Taiwan Strait by playing with fire, and to serve their geostrategic and economic interests at the expense of the well-being of the people on both sides of the strait and regional peace and stability. Chinese people are taking it for granted to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity, with unwavering determination and will. We are willing to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the greatest efforts, but we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures and will resolutely fight back against any provocative acts that endanger China's core interests and undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
At present, certain Western countries have reneged on the Taiwan issue, strengthened official exchanges with the Taiwan authorities, and constantly distorted and hollowed out the one Chinese-China principle. U.S. House Speaker Pelosi and other Western politicians have openly played with fire on the Taiwan issue and deliberately created incidents in the Taiwan Strait, which is an enemy of the 1.4 billion Chinese people and will never have a good end.
As the core of China's core interests, the one-China principle is the universal consensus of the international community, including India, and the political basis for China to develop relations with any country. India was one of the first countries to recognize only one China. The Chinese side is willing to promote the continuous development of China-India relations on the basis of the one-China principle.
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