中文
By Bereket Sisay
The 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, attended by more than 1,800 people, including 99 official delegations, defense ministers from 19 countries, military chiefs, representatives of international organizations, experts, scholars and observers from various countries, ended successfully on October 31.
The Forum was held on the heels of the growing humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing conflict in the region, which is attracting the attention of the world. This in itself shows the importance of the Forum, which, among other things, calls on countries to resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation in order to bring peace to a world fraught with insecurity, ranging from the crisis in Ukraine to various other challenges of insecurity around the world.
The world is fraught with geopolitical tensions, regional instability, and many other transnational threats, and all of these security threats have cast a shadow over the global future. Against this backdrop, unilateral and divergent approaches by countries to the growing security crises as well as the lack of a robust international security structure to address these growing challenges, have complicated security threats.
This has had a tremendous impact on human progress towards the common goal of development, since peace is a prerequisite for all human transformation. The UN says conflicts have been disrupting supply chains, fueled food insecurity, and contributed to the risk of famine and forced displacement in various countries, and even before the COVID-19 pandemic, countries in or recovering from conflict were "seriously off track" toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Aside from the Ukraine crisis and its impact on global food supplies, the ongoing crisis in the Middle East has put a dampener on the global economy. On October 25, Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, that the Middle East crisis is already affecting the region's economies, while warning that the war could deal a heavy blow to the global economy, especially if it draws in other countries. In the same vein, the World Bank also warned that oil prices could face a shock and jump to as high as $157 a barrel and trigger higher food prices if the crisis escalates.
This shows that security is a common agenda for all, as it transcends national boundaries and affects people from different countries. Therefore, it is in this perspective that delegates from various nations at the Xiangshan Forum urged the need for genuine cooperation on global security challenges as well as to build trust with each other while minimizing differences. Adhering to the basic principle of security cooperation, Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission of China, in his speech at the Forum, reiterated China's readiness and willingness to work with all parties to continuously deepen mutual trust on security issues, improve security architecture, enhance security governance and promote security cooperation.
In particular, the Forum has provided a platform for developing countries to make their voices heard at the global level as part of bringing the agenda of the Global South to the forefront. The Global South's concerns about common security have always been marginalized and replaced by hegemonic interests.
However, this platform has helped developing countries to bring their ideas into the mainstream security discourse as an important step towards a more just and equitable world. In addition, representatives have voiced support for the creation of a mutually agreed security framework for uncommon multilateral challenges that is consistent with a casual win-win practice and upholds the concept of multilateralism rather than a narrowly unilateral approach.
There was also a broad consensus on the need to address the root causes of insecurity, particularly in developing countries, where poverty has always been a major source of security threats. Part of this is to be addressed through developmental cooperation, which calls for China to further strengthen its commitment to helping countries develop and grow together, and to gradually bring countries to sustainable peace as such efforts reduce the likelihood of conflict in these countries.
In short, this year's Xiangshan Forum has provided an opportunity to better strengthen security cooperation among countries, as well as to raise the concerns of the Global South on the international security architecture, so as to better play their role in maintaining world peace. In addition, the Forum gives a new impetus to the quest for global peace by encouraging dialogue on ongoing conflicts and attempting to build bridges rather than erecting barriers among the different players.
Bereket Sisay is a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, with a special focus on Africa.
