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Promoting cooperation in the spirit of '€˜He'€™

Peace and cooperation, both pronounced as He in Chinese, are the two principles and codes of conduct deeply rooted in the tradition of the Chinese culture

Liu Zhenmin (The Jakarta Post)
Beijing
Wed, April 23, 2014

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Promoting cooperation in the spirit of '€˜He'€™

P

eace and cooperation, both pronounced as He in Chinese, are the two principles and codes of conduct deeply rooted in the tradition of the Chinese culture. The meaning of He implies peaceful, harmonious and auspicious; it could also refer to cooperation, integration and combination.

The concept of He is both an integral part of China'€™s cultural tradition and a universal philosophical value. The Chinese people love peace and harmony, and prefer cooperation over use of force or lawsuits in problem solving. This cultural DNA affects the behavior pattern of the Chinese people as well as the way China handles its relations with its neighbors.

Over 600 years ago, Zheng He, a Chinese navigator, made seven expeditions to the western seas with a fleet that was then the world'€™s strongest.

Unlike Western colonists who engaged in expansion and plunder, Zheng'€™s fleet brought Chinese silk, porcelain and tea to the countries and regions it visited and left behind touching stories of friendship between the Chinese and the local people. One can see that the concept of He featured prominently in this episode of history.

Since the founding of the People'€™s Republic, China has upheld the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the norms of governing state-to-state relations, the essence of which points to the traditional Chinese philosophy of peace and cooperation. Thanks to this philosophy, China-ASEAN relations made great headway.

Disputes in the South China Sea have been a challenging issue. Despite the differences between China and some Southeast Asian nations over a number of islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands and their overlapping claims on maritime rights and interests in some areas of the South China Sea, China has been committed to handling disputes properly in the spirit of peace and cooperation.

For years, China has been working tirelessly for the stability and cooperation in the South China Sea.

Generally speaking, despite the existing disputes, the overall situation in the South China Sea has been stable. The freedom of navigation in this area, an important shipping route for the Asia-Pacific and the world at large, is not affected, and this has helped this region become one of the most economically dynamic regions in the world.

Following is the experience we can draw on as we, in the spirit of He, explore China-ASEAN cooperation and properly handle disputes, including disputes concerning the South China Sea.

First, mutual respect and accommodation forms the basis of our cooperation. The Chinese culture is highly accommodative and guided by the belief that '€œtrue gentlemen live in peace even if they do not agree with each other.'€

The Chinese people believe that all countries and nations have the right to choose their own social systems, development paths, ways of doing things and social customs and that they should live in peace and engage each other despite difference in social system, level of development and social customs.

Even in the old days, China chose to perceive its neighbors in an amicable and accommodative light and develop relations with them by sending out merchant ships rather than gunboats. China believes that in every country, people are entitled to choose a development path suited to their national conditions. China never imposes its practice or opinion on other countries, still less does it attempt to grab the interests of other countries by use or threat of force.

The pursuit of peaceful development and coexistence is by no means an act of expediency, but a strategic choice made by the Chinese nation in light of its long-term interests as well as a fundamental principle underpinning the Chinese culture.

It is the very reason behind the fact that China'€™s cooperation with ASEAN countries transcends their difference in history, culture and social system and has become a brilliant example of cooperation between developing countries.

Second, engaging and treating each other candidly holds the key to the proper settlement of our differences. We advocate the spirit of He not as a means to dodge disputes and differences. We are not scared of disputes and differences. We believe the important thing is to understand each other better through direct communication and move forward step by step to find a proper solution on the basis of mutual understanding.

Pending the settlement of a dispute, parties need to demonstrate maximum restraint and manage their differences through bilateral consultations. Differences are not insurmountable. As long as we keep the dialogue and consultation going, eventually we will find new ideas and ways through exchanges no matter how difficult the problem is.

If anyone should rather recklessly stick to its own way of doing things, reject dialogue and communication or even try to bring external players into the picture, it is not only unhelpful, but also likely to escalate tensions and undermine peace and cooperation between countries concerned.

Third, mutual benefit and harmonious development is the shared goal of our cooperation. The ultimate goal of advocating the spirit of He does not stop at coexistence and engagement. It is about achieving common development through harmonious coexistence and cooperation.

Cooperation is not about who eats up whom or who follows whom. It is about seeing the bigger picture and the long-term interests instead of just one'€™s own immediate interests. Only a long-term perspective can lead to mutually beneficial cooperation in a real sense.

When China and ASEAN were hit by the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the 2008 global financial crisis, which originated in the United States and Europe, it was cooperation that got us through the crises and challenges and made regional economic growth and prosperity possible.

Under the current circumstances, we need to stay committed to cooperation and work to expand, diversify and deepen our cooperation and improve its efficiency so that the economy of our region will benefit from it.

With cooperation, we will rise above differences, build consensus, enhance mutual trust and create a better future for the countries and people of this region.

I am convinced that as long as we are committed to peace, cooperation and mutual benefit, we will overcome difficulties, intensify our cooperation and make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation and this region a beautiful home shared by us all.

The writer is deputy foreign affairs minister of the People'€™s Republic of China.

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