By He Lei
The Chinese military has always faithfully implemented the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, and persisted in performing international responsibilities as a major power military since the beginning of 2022. Against the backdrop of severe and complex international situations and the rampant COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese military has vigorously participated in UN peacekeeping operations, international rescues, maritime escorts, joint exercises and training and so on. It has done an excellent job in accomplishing its missions and tasks assigned and made outstanding contributions to safeguarding world peace and regional stability.
As of now, over 2,000 Chinese peacekeepers are carrying out international peacekeeping missions in seven peacekeeping mission areas and the UN Headquarters; and the 42nd Chinese naval escort taskforce is carrying out regular escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters. The PLA naval hospital ship Peace Ark has successfully completed the "Harmonious Mission 2022", the mission of visiting Indonesia and providing medical services for the local people.
The Chinese military has held multiple multilateral military exchanges in succession, including the 7th Great Wall International Military Medicine Forum, the symposium on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, the 2nd China-Africa Peace and Security Forum Ministerial Meeting, the "Shared Vision" International Peacekeeping Forum, the Great Wall-2022 International Forum on Counter-terrorism, the China-Arab States seminar on military higher learning institutions, the military medicine conference of the 2nd China-Africa Peace and Security Forum Video Conference on Military Medicine, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum Webinar , and the Fifth Defense Forum China-Latin American and the Caribbean States . It has attended various international meetings, including the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue, the 13th China-ASEAN Defense Ministers' Informal Meeting , the 19th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Defense of SCO Member States , and the 9th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), to send out China's voice, put forward China's proposals and contribute China's wisdom.
It can be seen that, with the deepening reform and opening-up, the growing expansion of overseas interests, and the Chinese military's responsibility for fulfilling the mission and tasks of the new era, the Chinese military is taking firm strides to go out, and has assumed greater responsibility and played a more important role in safeguarding world peace and regional stability.
First, it has become an important mission of the Chinese military in the new era to provide strategic support for safeguarding China's overseas interests and promoting world peace and development. On the new journey, the Chinese armed forces are to perform their missions and tasks in the new era more effectively.
Second, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has accelerated the modernization of national defense and the armed forces, with the modernization level and combat capability of the armed forces significantly improved. China is more capable of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, achieving complete reunification of the motherland, and "confident and competent in making greater contributions to world peace and development".
Third, as the unprecedented changes in the past century have accelerated its evolution, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change. The Chinese military has firmly upheld the Charter and purposes of the United Nations, promoted the establishment of a regional security cooperation framework and a new type of security partnership, proactively participated in the formulation of global security rules, strengthened international security cooperation, taken the initiative to get involved in the UN peacekeeping operations, and strived to provide more international public security products.
Safeguarding world peace and regional stability is the sacred mission of the Chinese military. In order to safeguard world peace and regional stability, first, China is to build a fortified national defense and military commensurate with China's international status and national security and development interests, accelerating the building of the people's armed forces into a world-class military, thus laying a solid foundation for safeguarding world peace and regional stability.
Second, China will continue to adhere to the security concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), faithfully implement the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and further strengthen strategic mutual trust, military mutual trust, cooperation and exchanges with the military forces of all countries in the world. It will also continue to proactively participate in the UN peacekeeping operations, international rescues, maritime escorts, joint exercises and training, and counter-terrorism operations within the framework of the United Nations, and provide more international public security products for the world.
Third, China will unswervingly pursue a defensive national defense policy, implement the military strategy in the new era, take a clear-cut stance against hegemonism and power politics in all their forms, oppose the Cold War mentality and unilateralism, oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries and hegemonic acts, oppose double standards and exclusive circles, resolutely safeguard the UN-centered international system and the basic norms governing international relations and international fairness and justice, and resolutely safeguard its overseas national interests. In all, China will continue to play a greater and more constructive role in safeguarding world peace and regional stability.
(The author is the former vice president of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA))
Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
