Cornerstone of harmony

By Li Xing/Li Qing

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have had an enduring impact in the diplomatic strategies and foreign policies of the Global South

This year commemorates the 70th anniversary of the formal codification of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in a treaty between China and India in 1954. These principles are mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. The five principles, exerting a pivotal role in the Bandung Conference in 1955 amid decolonization and the Cold War, constitute a significant milestone in international relations. Their enduring impact is evident in diplomatic strategies and foreign policies today, especially among the nations of the Global South.

In this context, it is relevant to mention that the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 marked a significant moment in European history, establishing what was regarded as the first "international order" following the tumultuous Thirty Years' War. Europe had finally learned to coexist in diversity through the principle of "state sovereignty" and "territoriality" under a system based on sovereign nation states. This system laid the foundation for the modern state-centric international order, emphasizing the autonomy and independence of sovereign states within a decentralized global system.

Since then, "Westphalian principles" have been a fundamental tenet of international law, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. It consists of three main components: Sovereignty: every state has the right of self-rule over its people and territory and only sovereign states can enter into formal and legal relations; legal equality: all states, regardless of size or power, are equal as sovereign members of the international community; and nonintervention: no interference in the internal affairs of another state. For centuries the Westphalian structure has sought to effectively manage the relationships among major powers.

Simultaneously with the Treaty of Westphalia, world history witnessed the expansive era of European colonialism spreading across Africa, Asia, the Americas and other parts of the world. Since then, through the slave trade, colonization, "free trade" and the world wars, a world economy emerged, gradually integrating multiple sociocultural systems into a single economic framework. This historical process laid the foundation for our contemporary world economy characterized by a historically evolved unequal structure of economic stratification and division of labor.

Since the end of the Cold War, the international order has been marked by globalization, economic liberalization, political democratization, and the expansion of international institutions and regimes. However, it has also been characterized by regional conflicts, terrorism, rising inequalities, and a deficit of global governance, etc. The Westphalian principles suffered a serious setback with the interventionist foreign policy of the United States, ranging from "humanitarian interventions" at the cost of state sovereignty to increasingly frequent interventions in states' internal affairs. Under the banner of "responsibility to protect human rights", the US legitimized "armed humanitarian intervention" based on its own interpretation of "violations of state responsibility". This has led to the overthrow of legitimately elected governments and leaders, as well as the instigation of various "color revolutions" during the early 2000s. These actions resulted in significant political changes and turmoil in numerous countries, particularly in the post-Soviet states and other regions.

Ironically, and even more seriously, under the international law enshrined by the Westphalian principles, NATO's intervention in Kosovo in 1999 and the US invasion in Iraq in 2003 were illegal actions conducted without UN authorization. The US has long accused China of not adhering to the "rule-based international order and law", The US has long been holding the banner of "freedom of navigation "while it does not even ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This refusal is driven by its desire to maintain hegemonic sovereignty, protect geopolitical interests, and avoid potential legal constraints. The US' current emphasis on Russia's breach of Ukraine's sovereignty, while rejecting Palestine's right to statehood, demonstrates its double standard in its foreign policy norms and value. The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has admitted that such double standards are causing the US and Europe to lose the support of the Global South in the Ukraine War.

Although formulated in different historical contexts, both the Westphalian principles and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence emphasize the importance of sovereignty, non-interference and peaceful relations among states. While the former laid the foundation for the modern state-centric international order, the latter was aimed at supporting the peaceful and cooperative relations among newly independent nations in the mid-20th century. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence embody the cultural traditions of Asian communities in their non-universalist and no-value-driven approach to international relations and their respecting of political, economic and cultural diversities.

Meanwhile, the ascent of China and its complex relationship with the US-led international order has frequently sparked discussions among scholars and policymakers alike. An interesting debate emerged in one of the 2011 editions of Foreign Affairs magazine, centered on whether China actually embodied the Westphalian principles more than the US and Western countries, and whether China is indeed more of a Westphalian state, particularly in its adherence to the principles of state sovereignty, non-interference and territorial integrity. The crux of the debate revolved around determining whether a framework based on multilateral inter-state "conventions" (rules and agreements) should take precedence over the West-centered "convictions" (norms and values) as the guiding principle for an international order. The Chinese perspective posits that a framework on conventions and agreements shaped by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is more enduring than one based on the norms and values defined by a select group of powers. Adhering to these principles will be the best response to the thesis that "a rising power (China) must seek hegemony". Such a thesis, rooted in Western classical realist thinking and often applied in the context of power transition theory, portrays a bleak picture of China's rise within the existing US-led international order.

China will continue to respect and follow the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the long-standing cornerstone of its foreign policy. In contrast to the West's divisive and assertive norm-based foreign policy, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence serve as a guiding framework that promotes solidarity, cooperation and mutual respect among countries in the Global South, fostering relations between China and other Global South nations.

Li Xing is a Yunshan leading scholar and professor at the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies and a professor at the Department of Politics and Society of Aalborg University. Li Qing is a professor and executive president of the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies. The authors contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.