Editor's Note: As the Communist Party of China (CPC) approaches the 105th anniversary of its founding, on July 1, CGTN presents "How the Communist Party of China Works," a special series of in-depth news analyses. This series offers a systematic analysis of the CPC's sustained effectiveness, examining its institutional resilience, people-centered philosophy and global significance.

In February 2019, Wang Yi, an associate professor at Army Medical University, arrived at the UN mission area in Mali to take up his post as a military medical officer with the Eastern Sector of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

During his peacekeeping mission, Wang repeatedly found himself amid crossfire, with a packed daily schedule including supervising combat drills and carrying out battlefield rescues. Over his 18-month tour in Mali, he received the Force Commander's Commendation from the MINUSMA and earned an outstanding performance rating twice.

In 2022, Wang volunteered once again for peacekeeping duty to Abyei. In January 2026, while chairing a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York as chairperson of the Medical Support Services Sub-Working Group for the UN Working Group on Contingent-Owned Equipment, he facilitated consensus on 11 proposals, which will translate into tangible supplies that will travel to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, reaching peacekeepers who stand fast amid conflict and march forward into perilous situations.

This April marks the 36th anniversary of the Chinese military's participation in UN peacekeeping operations. From medical rescue and engineering support to civilian safeguarding, Chinese peacekeepers, known as the "Blue Helmets," have evolved into a key force in UN peacekeeping operations.

As one of the countries with the best track records on peace and security, China, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), is committed to a path of peaceful development, and advocates a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, contributing to lasting global peace and stability.

Pursuit of peaceful development

The CPC has, since its founding, carried forward the genes of loving and pursuing peace that flows through the veins of Chinese civilization.

Since ancient times, China has upheld the maxim: "Though a country may be strong, those who crave war will perish." Concepts such as "harmony in diversity" have been passed down through generations.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country has never initiated a war or conflict, nor occupied an inch of foreign land. China is also the only major country to enshrine peaceful development in both its Constitution and the Constitution of its governing party.

As early as the 1950s, then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai first proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence during negotiations with the Indian government over border issues regarding China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

In June 1954, Zhou visited India and Myanmar, and issued joint statements with leaders of the two countries respectively, affirming the five principles as the cornerstone for guiding relations between China and the two countries.

The five principles, which stress peaceful means to resolve disputes, gradually gained traction beyond Asia, and have since been widely recognized by the international community over the decades, becoming a basic principle in international relations and a basic guideline for international law.

Subsequently, the CPC successively put forward important concepts such as establishing a new international political and economic order, pursuing a path of peaceful development, and building a harmonious world.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has moved closer to the center of the world stage. Playing a more active role in international affairs, the CPC has consistently promoted major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics and the building of a community of a shared future for humanity. It has won respect from peace-loving people throughout the world with real actions, and friends of the CPC and the Chinese people are to be found all over the world.

On September 3, 2025, China, as a major victor in World War II, solemnly commemorated the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Together with the international community, the country called for upholding the correct view of the history of WWII, firmly safeguarding the post-war international order, and resolutely defending international fairness and justice.

New path to lasting peace and security

In April 2022, China proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI), offering a comprehensive vision to address the root causes of conflict and improve global security governance. Four years on, the GSI has gained broad international traction, with endorsement from over 130 countries and international organizations, and inclusion in more than 140 bilateral and multilateral documents by the end of 2025.

In the traditional security domain, China has actively promoted the political settlement of hotspot issues and is the largest contributor of peacekeeping personnel among the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Regarding the Middle East, China successfully brokered a historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, while also facilitating the signing of the Beijing Declaration among Palestinian factions. More recently, China and Pakistan jointly proposed a five-point initiative aimed at restoring peace and stability in the Gulf region.

On the Ukraine crisis, China has supported the establishment of the "Friends of Peace" platform to create conditions for a political resolution. It has also played constructive roles in promoting reconciliation in regions such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand.

In non-traditional security domains, China has participated in and often led multilateral cooperation on counter-terrorism, drug control and public health security. It has also carried out numerous humanitarian assistance programs, addressing emerging global threats through collaboration.

In regional security cooperation, China has leveraged platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia to steadily contribute to regional stability.

Committed to building a more balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, China, together with other countries, is pursuing a new path of security based on dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliances, and win-win cooperation rather than zero-sum outcomes.

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