Original Title: For Peace Towards the World
People’s Liberation Army Daily reporter Liu Huadi
It is the call of the times and the inevitability of history for the Chinese military to go out to the world.
President Xi pointed out: “China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order, and the Chinese military has always been a staunch force in maintaining world peace.” Chinese soldiers in the new era will keep in mind the leader’s entrustment and practice faithfully. The concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, actively fulfill the responsibilities of the military of a major country, comprehensively promote international military cooperation in the new era, and go to the world with a more open and confident attitude.
Those with big boats have heavy responsibilities, and those with horses are far away. China is a force for peace, and the more China develops, the safer the world will be.
Over the past 10 years, it has actively participated in UN peacekeeping operations, continuously dispatched naval escort formations, carried out international humanitarian rescue missions, and contributed wisdom to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts… The Chinese military has provided more and more international public security products to the world.
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Peace is like air and sunshine, benefiting without realizing it, and losing it is hard to keep.
The world today is still not peaceful, with endless wars and conflicts in hotspot areas, bringing countless tragic stories. In 2020 alone, the number of people fleeing war, violence and persecution reached 82.4 million, according to UNHCR figures. Facts enlighten the world: the world needs peace, and it needs the power to maintain peace.
Since the beginning of its journey to participate in UN peacekeeping operations in 1990, the Chinese military has participated in 25 UN peacekeeping operations.
Entering a new era, the People’s Army has taken solid steps on the road to a strong army with Chinese characteristics. With the enhancement of its own strength, the Chinese military has participated in the UN peacekeeping operations with a more active attitude, and has continuously achieved new historic leaps——
In 2013, a guard unit was dispatched to the United Nations Mission in Mali, the first company-level security force; in 2015, the first peacekeeping infantry battalion was dispatched to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan; in 2017, the first peacekeeping helicopter unit was deployed to Darfur, Sudan In September 2017, the 8,000-strong peacekeeping standby force, including 28 detachments of 10 types of professional forces, was registered with the United Nations, becoming the peacekeeping division with the largest number and the most complete types of detachments among the United Nations peacekeeping standby forces… Chinese peacekeeping force The changes in structure, the expansion of tasks, and the upgrading of contributions are a direct manifestation of China’s responsibility as a major country in the new era.
At present, international cooperation has been severely impacted by power politics, unilateralism and populism. China has kept its word, followed its word, and fulfilled its solemn commitment to world peace with concrete actions.
The “Common Destiny” international peacekeeping military exercise, the “Common Mission” peacekeeping mission command post joint exercise, and the “Common Vision” peacekeeping international forum constitute the international brand of the “Common” series of peacekeeping operations regularly organized by the Chinese military. As the second largest contributor and contributor to UN peacekeeping, China has also established a US$1 billion “China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund” to regularly conduct peacekeeping exchanges and cooperation with relevant countries, international and regional organizations, and provide peacekeeping training for many countries. Personnel… Relevant foreign experts commented: “China is the only country among the permanent members of the UN Security Council that has been increasing its contribution to maintaining peace. China has truly demonstrated its role as a banner and a strong sense of responsibility for the concerns of the international community.”
Let the sun of peace warm the ravaged land. China’s commitment to the UN peacekeeping cause lies not only in the number of troops it has dispatched and the amount of apportionment it has shared, but also in China’s persistent and sincere attitude towards the cause of peace. role models and benchmarks.
Over the years, batches of Chinese peacekeepers, wearing blue berets and five-star red flag armbands, bravely retrograde in the smoke of war, bringing hope for peace and development to the local people in the mission area. The Chinese standards they set up convince their peers, the speed of China they created is admired by friendly troops, and the Chinese feelings they convey move people’s hearts. In the UN peacekeeping operations, they have demonstrated the strength of the Chinese army as a mighty, civilized, and peaceful army. image.
On January 28, 2022, as the Spring Festival, a traditional Chinese festival, is approaching, President Xi held a video call with the overseas peacekeeping detachment of the Central Theater Command, and expressed his condolences to all the officers and soldiers of our army who are performing overseas missions, emphasizing that the peacekeeping mission must be faithfully performed. , to contribute more Chinese strength to the maintenance of world peace, and to show the world a good image of the Chinese military.
The Chinese Blue Helmets are the key force of the United Nations in maintaining peace. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military, the strategic guidance of the Chinese military’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations has become clearer, its international influence has continued to increase, and its role has become increasingly important.
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“The short answer is that the two are not contradictory at all.”
In July 2019, the white paper “China’s National Defense in the New Era” was published. When asked whether “the Chinese military’s increased participation in overseas military operations is inconsistent with the path of peaceful development,” the spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense responded.
When the Chinese military goes to the world, what it brings to the world is security rather than threat, and opportunity rather than challenge. As the spokesperson emphasized, the Chinese military goes global, on the one hand, to effectively safeguard the country’s overseas interests and better fulfill its mission in the new era; on the other hand, to meet the general expectations of the international community and provide more public security Products, “In the white paper, whether it is peacekeeping, escort, or humanitarian relief and disaster reduction, you can find many such examples.”
Passing through the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, crossing the Strait of Malacca, and crossing the Indian Ocean… In late September, the 42nd Chinese naval escort taskforce unmoored from a military port in Qingdao and set sail for the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters.
More than 600 years ago, along this route, Zheng He’s fleet arrived in East Africa and the Red Sea. The ancient routes gather the strength of China, and the vast ocean shows the responsibility of a major country. “I am a Chinese naval escort formation. If you need help, please call me on Channel 16.” For more than 10 years, this announcement in both Chinese and English has never been interrupted, and it has become the “Voice of Peace” for Chinese and foreign merchant ships. .
The dense and dense flight path of the Gulf of Aden has witnessed the Chinese power that maintains the safety of the waterway and regional peace and stability. Escorting the strategic passage, escorting the interests of the motherland, and escorting life safety, the escorting officers and soldiers practiced their solemn commitment to the deep blue waterway and won wide praise from the international community and the people of the motherland.
“The blue planet where we humans live is not divided into isolated islands by the ocean, but is connected by the ocean to form a community of shared destiny, where people of all countries share safety and security.” President Xi’s important concept of a community of shared destiny for the oceans, escort officers and soldiers keep in mind. Undertook the escort mission of the World Food Program’s ships, urgently dispatched ships to carry out the joint search and rescue mission of the missing Malaysia Airlines passenger plane, provided fresh water to the Maldives, and evacuated Chinese and foreign personnel to Yemen during the war… While escorting Chinese and foreign ships, the Chinese naval escort fleet , has stepped forward many times at critical moments to provide public safety products to the international community.
On February 6, 2014, in Sochi, Russia, President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a video call with the captains of the Chinese and Russian warships who were participating in the joint escort of chemical weapons in Syria, and congratulated the two ships for their close cooperation and successful completion of the two escort missions. .
At the request of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Chinese naval escort taskforce sent warships to the Mediterranean Sea to participate in the joint escort mission of Syria’s chemical weapons shipping. During the 174-day mission period, the two Chinese warships carried out 20 batches of joint escort missions with Russian, Danish and Norwegian ships respectively, escorting transport ships to transport Syrian chemical weapons out of the country.
Embracing the deep blue, the escort formation takes the ocean as a broad stage for training troops. Under the grinding of the “grinding stone” of escort, the Navy’s capabilities in the use of far-sea forces, command and control in the far-seas, the projection of far-sea forces, and the execution of diverse tasks in the far-seas have been fully exercised, and the far-sea combat capabilities have been comprehensively improved.
What does it mean for the Chinese military to go to the world? It means that the world has an additional window to understand China, and it means that the world has an additional powerful force for maintaining peace and development. Adhering to the original intention of ensuring a peaceful development environment, the Chinese navy, which continues to move forward and embrace the deep blue, will continue to fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations, and play a greater role in ensuring the safety of important international shipping channels and maintaining international and regional peace and stability.
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The “Leading Navigation and Strengthening the Army to Revival – The Achievement Exhibition of National Defense and Military Construction in the New Era”, which is being held at the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution, has attracted many visitors. The display of the diverse military missions that the Chinese military has carried out overseas made many audiences sincerely admire and proud.
In the section “For Peace to the World“, the Cambodian signed thank you letter received by the China-aided Cambodian International Humanitarian Demining Training Course, the certificate issued by Ethiopia to the Chinese-aided Ethiopian military medical expert group, and the signed and awarded by the Sierra Leone Minister of Defense and the Chief of General Staff of the Army The certificate of merit of the expert group of Chinese military medical aid to Serbia… Each exhibit attracts the audience to stop and watch.
In fact, these exhibits reflect only a microcosm of the Chinese military’s foreign aid. Since last year alone, the 15th batch of Chinese military medical experts to Ecuador has been awarded the “Star of Armed Forces” Medal of Honor by Ecuador, the 16th batch of military medical experts to Cambodia has been awarded the “Peace Knight Medal”, and the 24th batch of military medical experts to Zambia has been awarded. Being awarded the “International Friendship and Cooperation Medal”… From the number of recipient countries and the batch of aid, it is not difficult to interpret the Chinese military’s persistent responsibility and responsibility to the international community.
From carrying out the task of assisting Africa to fight the Ebola virus, to participating in Nepal’s earthquake relief; from actively carrying out international cooperation in fighting the new crown pneumonia epidemic, to continuing to provide vaccines and material assistance to many countries… Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in accordance with the instructions of President Xi, The Chinese military joins hands with other countries to jointly address global security challenges, actively fulfill responsibilities and obligations commensurate with China’s international status, and actively contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Tonga, an island country in the South Pacific, has witnessed the active actions of the Chinese military in taking on the responsibilities and obligations of a major country and protecting the common homeland of mankind.
In January this year, Tonga’s submarine volcano suddenly erupted, causing serious disasters to the local people. Two Y-20 aircrafts of the Chinese Air Force, fully loaded with emergency and post-disaster reconstruction supplies, travelled across the equator and the international date line for the first time, bringing the deep friendship of the Chinese people to Tonga. Subsequently, the Chinese naval ships Wuzhishan and Chaganhu sailed for more than 12,000 nautical miles and successfully completed their mission to aid Tonga.
“Kunpeng” fluttered its wings, wrote a chapter of mutual help, and passed on the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. In the honor room of a regiment of the Yun-20 unit, a track map marked with a small red flag is particularly eye-catching: Tonga, Maldives, Laos, Solomon Islands, Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka… One after another transnational routes, written about great powers The wonderful answer sheet of “Kunpeng” flying to the world to fulfill its mission.
Coincidentally, this is not the first time the People’s Army has gone to Tonga.
In recent years, the hospital ship “Peace Ark” of the Chinese Navy has visited Tonga twice to carry out goodwill visits and provide humanitarian medical services. From the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, from Oceania to Central and South America… As a large-scale marine medical rescue platform designed and built by our country, the “Peace Ark” has been listed for more than 10 years and has visited dozens of places around the world. The country provides diagnosis and treatment services for patients of different nationalities and skin colors.
“If the world is good, China will be good; if China is good, the world will be better.” “Peace Ark” builds emotional bonds with people from all over the world with a series of magnificent tracks, showing the Chinese military as a major country in the new era on the global stage. take responsibility. This “big white boat” showing selfless love, full of the Chinese people and the Chinese military’s desire for peaceful development and the expectation of friendly cooperation, has set sail again and again to the world.
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On October 18, 2019, the main torch of the 7th Military World Games was lit in Wuhan, China. Nearly 10,000 military athletes from all over the world gathered together to convey peace and friendship.
Holding the Military Games is a major decision made by President Xi and the Central Military Commission. The success of the event demonstrates China’s determination and will to love and pursue peace.
To stop fighting for war, and to live in harmony. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has been advocating “the way of harmony”. Entering a new era, cooperation promotes development, cooperation promotes security, and promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The Chinese military’s international military cooperation in the new era continues to break new ground——
Focus on building an overall stable and balanced development of major-country military relations, strengthen military exchanges and cooperation with developing countries, and continuously expand the “circle of friends”, and establish defense and security consultation mechanisms with neighboring countries. Strategic mutual trust continues to increase;
Carry out high-level mutual visits, consultations and dialogues, participate in bilateral and multilateral joint exercises and training leagues, strengthen personnel training cooperation and equipment and technical exchanges, from bilateral to multilateral, from surrounding areas to distant seas, from “going out” to “inviting in”, military The depth and breadth of exchanges and cooperation continue to expand;
Hold the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, the Western Pacific Naval Forum, the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum and other home military and diplomatic activities, promote the establishment of a multilateral security cooperation mechanism, and practice the new security concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable with practical actions…
The century-old changes and the epidemic of the century are intertwined, wars and conflicts in hotspot areas continue, human development has encountered multiple crises, and the global governance system has undergone profound adjustments… Today’s world is at a crossroads.
President Xi delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022. He proposed a global security initiative for the first time, contributing Chinese wisdom and cohesive international efforts to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts and achieve long-term stability in the world.
Emphasize the unity of knowledge and action, and set a model for a great country. China is not only a proponent of the global security initiative, but also a firm practitioner of the spirit of the initiative. As a staunch force in maintaining world peace and stability and serving the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, the Chinese military will continue to provide strategic support for promoting world peace and development, and contribute to building a beautiful world of lasting peace and universal security.
The responsibility of a major country is as bright as the sun. Standing at a new historical starting point, the Chinese military will, as always, go to the world for peace!