On March 29, 2023, Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong attended upon invitation the sub-forum themed “Global Geopolitical Outlook” of Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 and delivered a keynote speech.

Nong Rong said that in the face of the international security situation fraught with changes and turbulence, President Xi Jinping solemnly proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI) at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference last year, calling on countries to adapt to the profoundly changing international landscape in the spirit of solidarity, and address the complex and intertwined security challenges with a win-win mindset. The GSI provides China’s proposals for tackling global security issues, addressing the security deficit in the world and promoting common security for humanity, and receives wide-range applause and positive response from the international community.

Nong Rong said that the GSI provides guidance for the thinking and actions to safeguard and promote world peace and security, and has yielded a series of positive progress and outcomes over the past year since it was put forth. Not long ago, China released the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper, listing 20 priorities of cooperation on the most urgent and pressing international security concerns at present, and putting forward suggestions and outlooks on platforms and mechanisms of cooperation. As of today, more than 80 countries and international organizations have appreciated and supported the GSI. The GSI has clearly incorporated more than 20 bilateral and multilateral documents on exchanges between China and relevant countries and organizations. Guided by the philosophies and the principles of the GSI, China has made relentless efforts to promote the political settlement of various hotspot issues and remained actively committed to cooperation with all other parties in non-traditional security areas including pandemic response, counter-terrorism, biology, cyberspace, food, and climate change.

Nong Rong said that the Asia-Pacific serves as an anchor of stability for world peace and a powerhouse for development. The current security situation maintains general stability, and at the same time faces complex and grave challenges. Relevant philosophies and principles of the GSI have shown a clear direction and pathway for all parties to jointly safeguard security and stability and achieve sustainable prosperity in the Asia-Pacific. China calls on all parties to jointly consolidate the political foundation, strengthen the economic base, improve institutional guarantees and maintain an enabling environment for enduring peace and stability in Asia-Pacific. Any country that attempts to create camp politics, build an Asia-Pacific version of NATO and wage a new Cold War in the Asia-Pacific region will stand on the opposite side of the Asia-Pacific countries dedicated to peaceful development, which will not be allowed by the times or accepted by people.

Nong Rong emphasized that as identified by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the central task of the CPC on the new journey in the new era will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. At China’s “two sessions” convened this year, President Xi Jinping stressed that we should accelerate the advancement of Chinese modernization. Chinese modernization will neither tread the old path of colonization and plunder, nor the beaten path of seeking hegemony once they grow strong taken by some countries. What China pursues is a right course of peaceful development. China welcomes the active participation in the GSI cooperation from all members of the international community who love peace and dedicate themselves to development, jointly substantiate the content and practices of the GSI, work in cooperation to respond to various security challenges, and make new contributions to defending peace and tranquility in Asia-Pacific and safeguarding world peace and stability.

The sub-forum themed “Global Geopolitical Outlook” was hosted by the Secretariat of Boao Forum for Asia. Former Vice Foreign Minister and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Liu Zhenmin, former President of Slovenia Danilo Türk, former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Moeed W. Yusuf, Professor Graham Allison of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, and Head of Regional Delegation for East Asia of the International Committee of the Red Cross Pierre Krähenbühl, among others, attended the event and exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China-United States relations, the Asia-Pacific security situation, and how to address the security conundrum facing humanity, among other issues. The participating guests spoke highly of the positive progress and important outcomes of the GSI since it was put forth last year, and expected all parties to actively participate in relevant cooperation of the GSI and work together to uphold and promote world peace and security.