This year marks the 70th anniversary of the enunciation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Though nearly three-quarters of a century have passed since they were formulated, their ideas still resonate today.
The decades after the end of World War II were marked by numerous struggles for national liberation and independence, many of which were successful. At the same time, the United States and its allies carried on the Cold War against the socialist countries of Europe and Asia, with the aim to continue their economic, political, and military domination over much of the planet.
In 1954, after a December 1953 meeting with India, China proposed an alternative model for international relations, one in opposition to that of the imperialist powers led by the U.S.
Instead of a system built upon military blocs, such as NATO; the use of military force, such as in Korea and Southeast Asia; the overthrow of democratically-elected governments, such as those of Iran, Guatemala, and Chile; the economic exploitation of the people and resources of the emerging countries—in opposition to all that, China proposed something very different, “The Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence.”
Their main points are:
1. Mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty;
2. Non-aggression;
3. Non-interference by one country in another’s internal affairs;
4. Striving for relationships that are equal and bring mutual benefit; and
5. Peaceful co-existence and respect for different socioeconomic systems.
The principles were instrumental in enabling China to break out of the diplomatic isolation that the U.S. had enforced on the country, a strategy aimed at weaken and ultimately overthrowing the People’s Republic.
India and Burma (now Myanmar) were the first countries to endorse the Five Principles.
The following year, 1955, the Asian-African Conference, better known as the Bandung Conference (held in Bandung, Indonesia) endorsed a program that incorporated the Five Principles. Comprised of 29 countries on the two continents, the Bandung Conference was a milestone in the growth of the newly independent nations.
The meeting also inaugurated the Non-Aligned Movement, a unified voice of nations that refused to be drawn into Cold War confrontation and demanded a level playing field in international relations, very different from what was imposed on them by the capitalist west.
Today, many things have changed since the middle of the 20th century. The Cold War that pitted the capitalist powers led by the U.S. against the socialist countries led by the Soviet Union is long over, and the USSR itself is no more.
The membership of the United Nations has increased from 76 in 1955 to 193 today. Most of the new members are countries of what is commonly called the Global South, that is Asia, Africa, Central Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Ocean.
There has also been a dramatic growth in the number of organizations where these countries cooperate. They include the BRICS group of nations (named for the original members—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), which now has nine members and a larger Gross Domestic Product than that of the U.S.-led Group of 7 leading capitalist powers.
There is also the Group of 77+China; the still-surviving Non-Aligned Movement; the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC); and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), among others.
To mark the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles, China held a conference in Beijing at the end of June. President Xi Jinping was the keynote speaker, and he began his address by encouraging countries to “carry forward these principles under the new circumstances, build together a community with a shared future for mankind, and provide a strong driving force for human progress.”
Xi said that the Five Principles have become “open, inclusive, and universally applicable basic norms for international relations and fundamental principles of international law.” He hailed them for their “indelible historic contributions to the cause of human progress.”
The Chinese president went on to add, “The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are a common asset of the international community to be valued, inherited, and further promoted…. Today, this Chinese initiative has become an international consensus. The beautiful vision has been put into productive action. It is moving the world to a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress.”
The vision, which Xi described, recognizes that all nations have a shared future and intertwined interests. The Five Principles, he said, “respond to the world’s prevailing trend of peace, development, [and] cooperation,” while “keeping pace with the historic trend toward multipolarity and economic globalization.”
The Five Principles have been written into China’s Constitution as the fundamental framework for Chinese foreign policy. It’s inscription into the country’s fundamental law provides an interesting contrast to the current discussions on the meaning of the U.>S Constitution in light of the recent Supreme Court decisions around presidential immunity and other right-wing priorities.
The implications of the Five Principles for the future of humankind are clear.
The people of the U.S. have a foreign policy choice in our upcoming election. Do we continue down the imperialist road of economic domination, war, racism, and political control? Or do we make a commitment to live in peace and harmony, with respect and support, with the rest of our species?
Though the time is late and much is at stake for every human being, the hour of change has arrived.
As with all op-eds published by People’s World, this article reflects the views of its author.
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