Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of the ‘Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence’, termed 'Panchsheel' by India, as a means to resolve current conflicts even as he also sought to expand China's influence in the Global South amid its ongoing tensions with the West.
Xi invoked the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which gained prominence with the Non-Aligned Movement, at a conference in Beijing to mark its 70th anniversary. He also sought to juxtapose them with his new concept of Global Security Initiative envisaging a shared future for mankind.
The 'Panchsheel' principles were first formally outlined in the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet region of China and India, signed on April 29, 1954. They were part of the legacy of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai.
"The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence answered the call of the times, and its commencement was an inevitable historic development. The Chinese leadership in the past specified the Five Principles in their entirety for the first time, namely, 'mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity', 'mutual non-aggression', 'mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs', 'equality and mutual benefit', and 'peaceful coexistence'," Xi Jinping said.
"The Five Principles have set a historic benchmark for international relations and international rule of law," Xi said, adding that China will provide 1,000 'Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Scholarship of Excellence,' 1,00,000 training opportunities to Global South countries in the next five years.
