Editor's note: Hannan Hussain is a foreign affairs commentator and author. He is a Fulbright recipient at the University of Maryland, the U.S., and a former assistant researcher at Islamabad Policy Research Institute. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On August 22, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a China-proposed briefing themed "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Promote Common Security through Dialogue and Cooperation." It was one of the signature events of China's UNSC presidency. "We must firmly establish a security concept that meets the needs of the times, which is a prerequisite for achieving common security," said Zhang Jun, Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations. "It must be recognized that in the era of globalization, the world is in danger, no one lives in a vacuum, and no country enjoys absolute security."

Opening up dialogue on common security is a noble pursuit at present, particularly as the world navigates multiple global challenges and boasts uneven capacities to manage security risks. The UNSC has been seen as a high-potential body for addressing complex challenges, from military conflicts and terrorist threats to COVID-19 and natural disasters. This is because the body, by virtue of its authority, gives the UN strong impetus for global action.

Zhang indicated a vital connection between the achievement of common security for all and the recognition that each country has distinct cultural backgrounds and development experiences, which in turn will generate differing views on security. That should be a cause of acceptance, not dispute, in the pursuit for common security. Moreover, the four perils of "unilateralism, zero-sum games, group confrontation, and power politics" are clear impediments to the future of long-term security for all member states.

The specific experiences of Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq came across as powerful reference points in China's position at the briefing. They underline the disproportionate costs of trading common security for absolute advantage, when select states intervene at the expense of an other's sovereignty. Constant interference under pretexts of "counter-terrorism, democracy and human rights" are rightly noted as drivers of "huge losses and pain" for entire populations, having left vulnerable segments to cope with escalating humanitarian crises, as opposed to equal rights and security as anticipated. The China-proposed briefing is thus a bold reminder of how peace and security ought to be perceived by the majority, before we end up guaranteeing them for the future of mankind. "There should be no double standards," affirmed Zhang.

On maintaining strategic stability, it is a fact that the international non-proliferation system is facing a potent challenge from "strategic competition" among great powers. That challenge is further intensified as many nuclear-armed countries cling to wider arsenals. All this strikes at the heart of the briefing's push for common security, because it illuminates some fundamental questions for a world in flux: is the international community safer with or without nuclear weapons? Does an arms race bring member states closer to solving wars, or risks birthing new ones? Common security provides a buffer against a range of unforeseen nuclear risks, making it clear that a nuclear war "cannot be fought or won."

The UNSC – as the central pillar of the international collective security mechanism – has the power to effect a departure from these ominous global trends. First, by virtue of its authority and leadership, the platform can play a meaningful role in what is described as the "New Agenda for Peace." The plan, which is being formulated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, involves key workings on improved security governance that were made known to members. The plan, backed by China, remains sensitive to "the most concerned issues of the majority of member states," promising common security to be a shared imperative, and not driven by exceptions. Beijing's added focus on strengthening cooperation with all parties is a positive stride toward the attainment of the UN peace agenda. It allows countries to join hands and close ranks behind traditional and non-traditional areas of cooperation, preparing the ground for new possibilities.

"China expects that the 'New Agenda for Peace' will capture the most concerned issues of the majority of member states, reflect the common voice of all member states, focus on building a common future, and inject new impetus into the realization of common security," stated Zhang.

Therefore, a reimagined common security architecture – firm on the principles of dialogue and cooperation – is the key to maintaining international peace and security in the long term.

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