Seventy years ago, the Chinese leadership together with India and Myanmar, advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. It conformed to the trend for national independence and liberation in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and answered the very important question of how to handle state-to-state relations.

Today, the world stands once again at a historical crossroad. China has answered the call of the times by proposing a community with a shared future for mankind. The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind carries forward the same spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

On 28 June 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech titled "Carrying Forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" in Beijing, at the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

He expounded on the essence of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and their relevance for our times, pointed the direction for building a community with a shared future for mankind amid major global transformation, and voiced a strong message of the Global South to work with people around the world for a better future.

And measures in support of Global South cooperation unveiled by President Xi Jinping speak to China’s unwavering commitment to standing with all countries of the South through thick and thin and advancing the development and vitalization of the Global South.

I have the great honour to share with fellow readers highlights of President Xi Jinping’s speech as below:

Over the past 70 years, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have transcended time and space and overcome estrangement, showing robust resilience and everlasting relevance. They have become open, inclusive, and universally applicable basic norms for international relations and fundamental principles of international law. They have made indelible historic contributions to the cause of human progress.

Seventy years later today, challenged by the historic question of “what kind of world to build and how to build it,” China has answered the call of the times by proposing a community with a shared future for mankind.

Today, this Chinese initiative has become an international consensus. The beautiful vision has been put into productive actions. It is moving the world to a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress.

The Vision of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind carries forward the same spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

The Vision captures the reality that all countries have a shared future and intertwined interests, and sets a new model of equality and coexistence for international relations.

The Vision responds to the world’s prevailing trend of peace, development, cooperation and win-win, and opens up new prospects for peace and progress.

The Vision keeps pace with the historic trend toward multipolarity and economic globalization, and inspires new ways to achieve development and security.

At this historic moment when mankind have to choose between peace and war, prosperity and recession, unity and confrontation, we must champion more than ever the essence of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and we must always strive tirelessly for the lofty goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

We need to uphold the principle of sovereign equality.

We need to cement the foundation of mutual respect.

We need to turn the vision for peace and security into reality.

We need to unite all forces to achieve prosperity.

We need to commit to fairness and justice.

We need to embrace an open and inclusive mindset.

The Global South should be more open and more inclusive, and join hands together to take the lead in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

To better support Global South cooperation, China will establish a Global South research center.

China will provide 1,000 scholarships under the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Scholarship of Excellence and 100,000 training opportunities to Global South countries in the coming five years.

China will also launch a Global South youth leaders program.

China will continue to make good use of the China-U.N. Peace and Development Fund, the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and the Climate Change South-South Cooperation Fund, and will work with interested parties to set up a tripartite center of excellence for the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, so as to facilitate growth in Global South countries.

China will renew the China-IFAD South-South and Triangular Cooperation Facility, and make an additional Renminbi contribution equivalent to US$10 million to be used to support agricultural development of the Global South.

China is ready to discuss free trade arrangements with more Global South countries, continue to support the WTO’s Aid for Trade initiative, and renew its contribution to the WTO’s China Program.

China welcomes more Global South countries to join the Initiative on International Trade and Economic Cooperation Framework for Digital Economy and Green Development.

Between now and 2030, China’s import from fellow developing countries is expected to exceed US$8 trillion.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence has been written into China’s Constitution long before. They are the bedrock of China’s independent foreign policy of peace.

China’s resolve to stay on the path of peaceful development will not change.

China’s resolve to develop friendship and cooperation with all countries will not change.

China’s resolve to promote common development across the world will not change.

The implementation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is an ongoing process. So is the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China stands ready to work with all countries including Pacific island countries through greater unity, cooperation, communication and understanding to meet global challenges and build a beautiful world together.

Fei Mingxing is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Independent State of Samoa.