The idea of "proactive peace" Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe preaches should be a cause for concern because its essence is not peace but "proactiveness," says a senior Chinese diplomat.
The so-called "proactive" approach is aimed at changing the path of peaceful development set for Japan after World War II, Fu Ying, a former vice foreign minister, said here on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security forum.
Japan's moves in recent years are worrying because the country inflicted tremendous harm on its neighbors in modern history, and it has not truly come to terms with its past, the soft-spoken diplomat noted.
Even worse, the current leaders of Japan have been trying their best to deny and beautify Japan's history of invasion, added Fu, who now chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).
In his keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday, Abe used various innuendoes to paint China as a threat. He also called on his compatriots to revise Japan's pacifist constitution, saying the Self-Defense Forces should play a larger role in regional security.
"He has been trying to lift the lid on Japan's right of collective self-defense, and he is drumming up a campaign for Japan to be more proactively involved in international security affairs. Given all that, we cannot help questioning the motive, aim and consequence of his moves," Fu said.
She expressed concern that Japanese leaders, with various pretexts, may lead Japan on "a wrong path as their predecessors in modern history did."
"Our world is increasingly globalized and the countries are increasingly interdependent. What we need is peace and stability, and development and steady improvement of people's living standards," she said.
"We are opposed to raising voices on differences and disputes or creating confrontation. ... We must stay vigilant and not let what happened tragically in history repeat itself," added the diplomatic veteran.
COOPERATIVE SECURITY
Fu said that she came to the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue, which opened Friday, to listen to other countries' views on security issues while trying to explain China's policies and stances.
"Asia is a region of growth and vitality. It has had peace and stability after the Cold War. At the same time, however, it is also a region of diversity with multiple interwoven challenges. To maintain peace and stability and sustain our cooperation and growth momentum, we have to keep our channels of communication open, and keep on efforts to build confidence and reduce distrust," she said.
Fu said countries in the region should further push forward their economic integration in order to achieve common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, the goal of a security approach put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at a recent security summit in Shanghai.
"We should pursue sustainable security through the pursuit of sustainable development," she said.
She also said that in the 21st century, the goal must be common security that takes account of the interests and concerns of all countries.
"It must be inclusive. We cannot limit our pursuit to the security interests of a small number of nations or the absolute security of the members of an alliance," Fu said. "We should increase our constructive interaction among major countries and discard the Cold War mind-set."
She urged countries in the region to stick to the path of multilateralism and build an inclusive regional security cooperation framework.
It is good for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be at the center of regional cooperation and for all the countries to work together "in the ASEAN way," which works by building on consensus while properly handling differences and disputes, she added.
Fu, who answered questions and explained China's policies at the Shangri-La Dialogue, said China does need to think about how it can better communicate with the rest of the world so that people could understand China's ideas and thoughts better and know them more timely.
"One of the most frequently asked questions at the Shangri-La Dialogue is: 'China is so powerful, so what changes will it bring to this region and the world?' Obviously China is now seen as a major power in the world," she said.
She added that she expects people from other countries to be following the latest developments related to China more closely and with more critical eyes.
"Misunderstanding and misreading can often make it hard to see the truth, especially when others do not have enough knowledge about China and when there still exists the Cold War mind-set," she said.
Responding to a question on maritime disputes in South and East China Seas, Fu said China has always been opposed to unilateral changes to the status quo or provocations in these areas, adding that its policy has always been the peaceful solution of the disputes through consultation and negotiations between the countries involved.
However, she said, China has faced unilateral provocations by certain countries in recent years, with some not only creating incidents but also taking dangerous actions that could jeopardize regional security.
"China has had to respond effectively and forcefully to the provocations to defend our interests, while we have to prevent the situation from running out of control, uphold the consensuses that have been achieved by various parties, and safeguard regional stability," she said.
ASEAN CENTRALITY
Fu said the core of the South China Sea issue is the overlapping of sovereign disputes over some islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands and claims on maritime interests.
China is committed to settling the disputes through direct negotiations and friendly consultations with other claimants based on respect for historical facts and international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), she said.
The NPC ratified the UNCLOS in 1996. The spirit of peaceful use of seas in the UNCLOS reflects the common aspirations of mankind, even though it is not a perfect law as many of the stipulations are not specific enough, she noted.
As the UNCLOS does not touch upon disputes of sovereign claims, which is clearly written in the preface of the document, nobody can unilaterally declare an exclusive economic zone and then use it as an excuse to claim islands in the waters in question, Fu said.
She said the UNCLOS is only part of international laws, which also include the United Nations Charter and the international codes and practices.
Bilateral and multilateral agreements and consensus, including the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which was concluded in 2002 among China and the ASEAN countries, are also an important part of the international rules, she said.
China will continue to work with the countries involved to keep on communication, enhance mutual political trust, and carry out maritime cooperation, so as to create an environment for managing differences and resolving disputes, she said.
Beijing will also work with the ASEAN countries to effectively implement the DOC while working on a code of conduct within the framework of the DOC, Fu noted.
