70 years on, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence stand stronger

Seventy years ago, China put forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: "mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence," to build a new kind of international relations and a better world in the new era. 

These ideas were first put forward by then-Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai on December 31, 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 June 28 and the joint statement of the Prime Ministers of China and Burma issued on June 29 both affirmed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as guiding principles in their bilateral relations. These principles were formally proposed as the norms for handling international relations. 

In 1955, the Ten Principles of Bandung for handling state-to-state relations were adopted at the Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, inside which the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were included. Hereafter, in the process of third-world countries seeking a fairer international political and economic order, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have been accepted and adopted by the overwhelming majority of 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 Coexistence, reaffirming the wide acceptance of these principles by the international community.

Contributing to maintaining world peace

Through the past 70 years, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have been widely accepted and recognized by countries across the world. They have become an important norm governing contemporary international relations.

"The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is (a) universal principle that we can share with a number of countries in the world. Because the five principles express positive perceptions on international relations, especially with the first one, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," Indriana Kartini, a researcher from Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), told Xinhua.

"If all countries embrace the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, I think it will contribute to maintaining regional stability and world peace," the researcher noted.

As of the beginning of 2024, 183 countries have already established diplomatic relations with China, and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence can be seen in almost all communiques on the establishment of diplomatic relations or bilateral treaties.

"The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind is an inheritance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which is also the enrichment and development of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence," Wang Yiwei, professor at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, told CGTN.

China will hold a conference marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence on Friday in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday.

The commemorative events include a commemorative conference, a luncheon and parallel forums. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the conference and deliver a speech, and Premier Li Qiang will preside over the conference, the spokesperson said.