Minister: China committed to safeguarding world peace

Published: August 18,2023

By Jiang Chenglong

State Councillor and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu delivers a speech at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday. [Photo/Agencies]

The Chinese military remains steadfast in safeguarding world peace, China’s defense minister said at a global security forum in Moscow, noting that the country is willing to further enhance mutual trust in military security strategies and engage in various practical cooperation with other militaries.

State Councillor and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu delivered a speech at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday, elaborating China’s vision on the Global Security Initiative and reiterating the nation’s position on the Taiwan question, according to a news release by China’s Ministry of National Defense.

Li said that the Global Security Initiative, put forward by President Xi Jinping, has been advocating a new concept of security that is common, inclusive, cooperative and sustainable.

The initiative has received positive responses from the international community, since it advocates dialogue rather than confrontation, chooses partnership instead of alliance, and pursues win-win cooperation rather than zero-sum games, he said.

The initiative embodies aspirations for world peace, the longing for harmonious coexistence and the pursuit of common development, the minister said, adding that China looks forward to working together with other countries to implement the initiative and inject more stability and positive energy into the turbulent world.

Li also emphasized that China is willing to continuously strengthen mutual trust in military security strategies and concrete cooperation in various professional fields with other militaries, in order to jointly build a platform for security cooperation and make greater contributions to maintaining global security.

The defense minister also reiterated China’s position on the Taiwan question, pointing out that the matter is China’s internal affair and it does not tolerate any foreign interference.

The reunification of China is an unstoppable historical trend, and any attempt to play with fire in this regard or to “contain China by using Taiwan” are bound to end in failure, he said.

On the sidelines of the conference, Li held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. They exchanged views on the relations between the two countries, their militaries and cooperation, according to China’s Defense Ministry.

During the meeting, Shoigu thanked Li for participating in the security conference, noting that his informative speech and the analysis of the international situation “deserve special attention”, according to a news release by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Russia and China maintain high-level military contacts and conduct joint exercises on land, sea and in the air, said Shoigu, who emphasized that China-Russia cooperation is both on a bilateral basis and in multilateral formats — within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.

“We are implementing the agreements of our leaders in practice,” Shoigu said, referring to the consensus reached by President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during Xi’s state visit to Russia in March. The two countries agreed to deepen comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

In a video circulated on the internet, Shoigu said “hello” in Chinese to Li in the opening remarks of their meeting and highlighted the fact that this is his third meeting with Li this year.

The Russian defense minister congratulated Li on the 96th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China, which was celebrated on Aug 1, wishing China success in safeguarding the country, strengthening its defense capabilities and further modernizing the nation’s armed forces, according to Russia’s news release.

Li also held bilateral meetings with defense and military leaders of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam and other countries, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.

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