Opinion | Asia is embracing China’s vision of a peaceful, secure and prosperous future

On top of offering peaceful development, fairer international relations and true multilateralism, China’s vision chimes with the essence of Asian values

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People gather for the opening ceremony of the 2023 Zhongguancun Forum, a state-backed tech event, in Beijing, on May 25. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:30am, 17 Feb 2024

When Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong exchanged Spring Festival greetings earlier this month, they recalled Xi’s visit to Vietnam last December, when they agreed to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

Asean member Vietnam is one of seven in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to join China in building a community with a shared future for mankind. Why is this vision so popular?

First, because it follows a peaceful development path. The pursuit of peace, amity and harmony is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. For a long time in the past, China was one of the world’s most powerful countries. It has never colonised another state or shown overt aggression. After the Opium War broke out in 1840, China suffered through almost 100 years of turmoil and wars. Today, every Chinese person holds peace dear.

Without peace, people suffer and development is delayed, even destroyed. China’s vision of a world of lasting peace naturally attracts peace lovers.

Second, China’s vision offers a new type of international relations. Under the guidance of the UN Charter, no world war has been seen for almost 80 years.

That conflict and wars continue to flare up, and hunger and poverty threaten hundreds of millions of people worldwide, is a reminder that the wanton use of force, enforcement of hegemony and expansionism offer no way out. The Cold War mentality and zero-sum game are outdated. And a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer is simply unsustainable.