By Ambassador Jiang Zaidong’s Op-ed on People’s Daily
Against the backdrop of escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, and its increasing pressure on regional stability and the world economy, on March 31st, China and Pakistan jointly issued the “Five-Point Initiative of China and Pakistan For Restoring Peace and Stability in the Gulf and Middle East Region” in Beijing. The initiative calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, start of peace talks as soon as possible, security of nonmilitary targets, security of shipping lanes, and the primacy of the United Nations Charter. The Five-Point Initiative represents not only the common position of China and Pakistan, but also aligns with the universal expectations of the international community. Consequently, it has received high attention and widespread support once proposed.
As iron-clad friends, China and Pakistan have consistently maintained close communication and collaboration on major hotspot issues, dedicated to promoting regional as well as global peace and stability. This is not only historical strengths of our all-weather strategic cooperation and also an inherent part of the China-Pakistan community with a shared future. Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, China—as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major power—has maintained close contact with relevant parties, including the parties to the conflict, to promote ceasefire and initiate diplomatic negotiations. Pakistan has actively facilitated dialogue and mediation using its own advantages, making sincere efforts to prevent further escalation of the situation. During this process, China and Pakistan maintained close communication and coordination through channels of Beijing and Islamabad as well as in the UN Security Council. Our two Foreign Ministers conducted two phone calls and held talks in Beijing to jointly voice the call for peace and justice.
Currently, as once-in-a-century changes accelerate and the international landscape becomes increasingly complex, the fumes of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict has once again made the world fully aware of the heavy price of war. Facing escalating hegemonism, high-handedness, and bullying, and the repeated erosion of the UN authority, the international community—especially the Global South—earnestly looks forward to reforming the international governance structure and upholding international fairness and justice. At last year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Tianjin Summit, President Xi Jinping, bearing in mind the future of humanity and grasping the trends of the times, solemnly proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI). In the GGI, he emphasized adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on taking real actions. It is a systematic solution for building a fairer and more reasonable global governance system. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who attended the summit, expressed firm support on the spot. The Five-Point Initiative jointly proposed by China and Pakistan serves as a vivid practice of both sides implementing the Global Governance Initiative with concrete actions.
The China-Pakistan Five-Point Initiative has received support and positive responses from many countries and international organizations, pooling efforts to restore peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East. This fully demonstrates that a ceasefire and an end to hostilities are what the people truly desire, and that peace and stability are what countries around the world looking for. History has repeatedly shown that the use of force is not a solution to any problem, and that dialogue and negotiation are the only right way forward. China will continue to work with Pakistan to unite all peace-loving countries and peoples of the world, and urge the parties concerned to stop this war that should not have happened in the first place, so as to restore peace and tranquility to the region at an early date and ensure the unimpeded flow of global energy supplies and international industrial and supply chains.
This year marks the inauguration of China’s “15th Five-Year Plan” and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. We will work with Pakistan to fully implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Pakistani leaders, intensify high-level exchanges, advance practical cooperation, enhance people-to-people connectivity, and deepen multilateral coordination. We will implement the four Global Initiatives through concrete actions, strive to advance the reform of the global governance system, uphold international fairness and justice, and make new contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
