At the opening ceremony of the 2022 Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for making Asia an anchor for world peace, a powerhouse for global growth, and a new pacesetter for international cooperation.
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While delivering a keynote speech via video, Xi stressed that people in Asia deeply cherish the value of peace and understand that development gains do not come easily as they have been through hot and cold wars, hardships, and tribulations.
"Over the past decades, Asia has enjoyed overall stability and sustained rapid growth, making possible the Asian Miracle," he said, adding that the whole world benefits when Asia fares well. The Chinese leader stressed resolutely safeguarding peace in Asia, vigorously advancing Asian cooperation and jointly promoting Asian unity.
"Peace and stability in our region does not fall into our lap automatically or come as charity from any country. Rather, it is the result of the joint efforts of countries in the region," he pointed out, called for fostering a more open Asia-wide market, and stressed that countries, no matter their size and strength, should all add splendor rather than trouble to Asia.
Hailing the broad-mindedness of Asians, the Chinese leader called for choosing dialogue and cooperation over zero-sum games, openness and inclusiveness over a closed-door and exclusive approach, and exchanges and mutual learning over a sense of superiority.
At the 2022 Boao Forum, Xi stressed ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture, and called for upholding a regional order that balances the aspirations and accommodates the interests of all parties. The Chinese president also proposed building a new global security architecture based on foundations other than traditional geopolitics.
In order not to remain a dead letter, the global security must adopt a people-based approach and take into account the needs of developing countries, among which are currently the rapid economic recovery and the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations.
"The main recipient of Xi's message is the United States... rejecting the 'Cold War mentality', 'unilateral sanctions', and 'double standards' means rejecting Washington's international agenda," the Italian geopolitical magazine Limes pointed out.
"The global security initiative is a gamble as fascinating as it is risky: it may be the political leg of the new Silk Road and expand Beijing's international status. But it may also force China to overexpose itself, raising, perhaps too soon, the level of confrontation with the U.S.," it added.