Dear Mr. Chen Dongxiao, President of SIIS,
Dear Mr. Yang Jiemian,
Distinguished Experts and Scholars,

Good morning. It is a distinct pleasure for me to join all the friends, experts and scholars here to exchange views on promoting Asian security architecture building through win-win cooperation. I wish to extend sincere thanks to SIIS for their careful preparations and thoughtful arrangements for the conference.

At the Fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Shanghai, China last May, President Xi Jinping put forward the Asian security concept and the important proposal of exploring the building of a new regional security cooperation architecture based on the concept. The Asian security concept is the thinking and solution China offers to address the new security situation and challenges in Asia. It embodies the consensus of Asian countries, enriches the theory of security cooperation, and marks a crucial step forward made by Asian countries on the path toward building a security cooperation platform in Asia. This concept was applauded and warmly received by the participants of Summit, and on the basis of consensus among CICA members, its principle was written into the Shanghai Declaration issued at the Summit.

Five months on, in Shanghai again, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) is holding this international conference under the theme of "Promoting Asian Security Architecture Building through Win-Win Cooperation". This is indeed a highly relevant and timely event. The conference has brought together experts and scholars of important research institutes from China and other Asian countries. I am confident that it will serve as a good platform for us to share views, build consensus, and contribute ideas and wisdoms on ways to establish an Asian security cooperation mechanism and to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.

Dear Experts and Scholars,

Among the most significant changes in the international landscape since the turn of the century, one is, undoubtedly, Asia's fast emergence as the most dynamic and promising region in the world. When the world is troubled by the surge of both old and new problems and confronted with waves of complex developments, Asia has on the whole maintained peaceful and stable development in spite of its own difficulties and problems. Asian countries, relying mostly on their own strengths, have coped with the international financial crisis effectively, maintaining economic stability and laying a more solid foundation for future development. According to the IMF, Asia registered a growth rate of 6.6% in 2013, which is more than double the world average. Asia's share in global GDP has raised to more than 30% from the 1952 level of 15%, making Asia a major economic plate on a par with the United States and Europe, and an important engine of global economic growth. The region has seen robust growth in trade, investment and connectivity among its countries, with intra-regional trade accounting for over 50% of the region's total trade, and more than 250 free trade agreements of various kinds signed or negotiated. Institutionalized cooperation among Asian countries is deepening thanks to vibrant mechanisms such as ASEAN, 10 1, 10 3 and East Asia Summit. Major global players have all focused their attention on Asia, putting in more energy and resources and going for deeper interaction and cooperation with countries in the region. Asia, with a rising standing and greater influence in the global strategic architecture, is changing the international political and economic landscape. Such a momentum does not come easily and deserves to be dearly cherished.

Having said that, Asia still faces many risks and challenges on its way forward. In particular, security, compared with its fast growing economy, is increasingly the "short plank" of Asia. Regional hotspot issues flare up from time to time; issues left over from history and frictions of immediate interests are intertwined; financial security, terrorism, cross-border crimes, energy security, food security, cyber security, natural disasters, public health problems and other non-traditional challenges are becoming more prominent. These factors have made security issues in Asia more unpredictable, contagious and interconnected. This is well borne out by the fact that the Fukushima nuclear leak in Japan has threatened the ecological security of the Pacific coasts, and that passengers on the missing Malaysian Airlines plane were from 13 countries and 26 countries participated in the search and rescue mission. Moreover, the zero-sum mentality still exists. Some countries try to ensure their absolute security by strengthening military alliances, and others pursue their selfish interests by provoking conflicts and heightening disputes, adding complexities to the security situation in the region. The building of an Asian security cooperation architecture obviously lags behind, falling short of the needs of the new developments as well as common aspirations of people across the world for peace, stability and security. How to take the Asian security concept as a basis to enhance the building of an Asian security cooperation architecture is an urgent task critical to peace, stability, development and prosperity in Asia.

The Asian security concept proposed by President Xi Jinping contains four core elements -- common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable. Common security stresses universality, equality, inclusiveness and it is about respecting and ensuring security of every nation. Comprehensive security covers both traditional and non-traditional security fronts. Cooperative security means promoting national and regional security through dialogue and cooperation. And sustainable cooperation puts equal emphasis on development and security in order to achieve lasting security. The concept respects the history and traditions of Asia and fully accommodates the reality in the region, and thus is of great significance for maintaining peace and stability in Asia.

Guided by a sound concept, we need realistic, reasonable and operable plans for implementation. And that calls for in-depth discussion and joint action by countries in the region. We believe that Asian countries should explore the building of an Asian security architecture from the following perspectives.

First, follow the Asian way. With vast land mass and a huge population, our region is home to a large number of different ethnic groups and civilizations. There are enormous disparities among Asian countries in terms of history, tradition and social system. Customs differ from place to place. Asian countries differ in levels of development,   and are faced with various security challenges and aspirations. To build a new Asian security mechanism, we should follow the Asian way of equal consultation, solidarity, coordination, mutual understanding, mutual accommodation, seeking common ground while putting aside differences, and making progress in a step-by-step manner. We should build Asian consensus, pool Asian wisdom and translate diversity and disparity into vitality that drives regional security cooperation.

Second, handle well both internal and external factors. At the end of the day, security in Asia depends on all Asian peoples, who have the capacity and wisdom to manage our own affairs well. At the same time, Asia has always been an open continent. The Asian security cooperation architecture will also be fostered in a way that is open and inclusive. Such openness and inclusiveness mean two things. One, we welcome the constructive role by countries outside the region. Countries, within and without the region, should perceive each other’s strategic intentions in a rational manner and adhere to the principles of no conflict and no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. They should build a new type of major-country relations and have positive interactions so that the major-country relations would become an advantage, instead of minus in the building of the Asian security cooperation architecture. Two, the architecture may communicate and cooperate with security cooperation architectures in other regions working together to maintain peace and stability in the region and beyond.

Third, coordinate old and new mechanisms. Regional countries have taken tentative steps and done a lot of useful work in building security cooperation mechanisms that suit the reality and needs of the region. The CICA summit, SCO, ARF, EAS and the Six-party Talks on the Korean nuclear issue have all played important roles in respective regions. But Asia lacks a widely represented, practical and inclusive security cooperation architecture that covers the whole region. Therefore, as we work toward building an Asian security cooperation architecture, we should both take full advantage of the current mechanisms and explore the the possibility of building new cooperation platforms in light of the changing circumstances. We should work to make sure that the old and new mechanisms will complement and reinforce each other, and in that process, we should promote the building of a comprehensive, orderly, inclusive and balanced new architecture for regional security cooperation.

At present, CICA is the largest and the most representative regional security forum in Asia. Over the last two decades and more, CICA has made important contribution to advancing cooperation and promoting peace and stability in the region. The success of the fourth CICA Summit further increased the weight of CICA in regional cooperation mechanisms. CICA may become a platform for security dialogue and cooperation that covers the whole Asia and it may also lay an important foundation for the discussion of building a new architecture for regional security cooperation. We need to explore new ways of thinking, increase CICA’s capacity and mechanism building, fully improve CICA confidence building measures and handle well its relations with other mechanisms, in order to promote the building of the regional security cooperation mechanism in an open and inclusive manner.

Fourth, start with easier areas and expand into hard ones in a coordinated fashion. Asian countries have joined hands every step of the way, and have worked together to address various issues and challenges, from coping with the Asian financial crisis to responding to the Indian Ocean tsunami, and from dealing with the Fukushima nuclear incident to carrying out a joint search for the missing Malaysian airliner. Gradualism should be a feature of Asian security cooperation. We have continuously deepened cooperation in such non-traditional security fronts as counter-terrorism, disaster relief and maritime security. On that basis, parties may take a further step and discuss a code of conduct that is endorsed and observed by all. Through such efforts, regional security cooperation will be upgraded to the level of rule setting and institutional building, so as to create an all-win security cooperation architecture built and shared by all the Asian countries.

Fifth, lay a solid foundation for development. Regarding building a better Asia, security and development, like two wheels of a cart, are indispensable and mutually reinforcing. Without development, security is just like water without source or a tree without root. Without a secure and stable environment, development is not sustainable. Many of the security risks that Asia faces are problems in the process of development and challenges on our way forward. These problems are directly linked to uneven economic growth, prominent livelihood issues, yawning wealth gap and insufficient disaster relief capacity, thus can only be solved through development. We must focus on development, accelerate regional integration and connectivity and make the pie of common interests bigger. In this way, the benefits of development will reach people of all countries in the region, the overall development level in the region will be raised, and sustainable security can be achieved through sustainable development.  

Dear Experts and Scholars,

Asia is China's home and the foundation of its development and prosperity. To safeguard and promote Asian security is not just China's responsibility as a major Asian country, but also what China must do in order to ensure its own stability and development. China's reform and opening-up endeavor have scored remarkable achievements, which is made possible in a generally peaceful and stable environment. China's future relies even more on Asia's security and stability. China continues to actively promote, contribute to and participate in the building of the Asian security mechanism, and stays as a steadfast force for peace and security in Asia. China's commitment is mainly demonstrated in the following aspects:

First, China has contributed to prosperity and stability in Asia through its own peaceful development. China's commitment to peaceful development is not expediency or a diplomatic parlance, but a decision based on the assessment of the past, present and future, and a strategic choice in keeping with the trend of the times. It is not only China's response to the international community's interest in its future direction, but also a demonstration of the confidence and self-awareness of the Chinese people in realizing its own development objectives. China's pursuit of peaceful development starts from Asia, relies on Asia and benefits Asia. Even if China becomes stronger in the future, it will not seek for spheres of influence in its neighborhood and Asia. In the meantime, peaceful development is a vision shared by China and all countries in Asia. We sincerely hope that other Asian countries will join China in pursuing peaceful development.

Second, China has contributed to common development in Asia with its own development. China's neighborhood policy is designed to foster good-neighborliness and friendship, and uphold the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. These commitments are not lip services, but reflected in concrete actions. China's contribution to Asia's economic growth has already exceeded 50%. China is the largest trading partner and export market for many Asian countries, and 70% of its outbound investment goes to countries and regions in Asia. In the next five years, China will import over US$10 trillion of goods and invest over US$500 billion overseas, and the number of outbound Chinese tourists will also exceed 500 million, which shall present huge opportunities for promoting cooperation between China and other Asian countries as well as common development of Asian countries. The major regional cooperation initiatives proposed by the Chinese leaders, including the Silk Road Economic Belt, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, have been welcomed and supported by Asian countries. These cooperation projects, which are all making steady progress, will inject strong impetus into the future development of Asia.

Third, China has played a constructive role in political settlement of hotspot and challenging issues in Asia. It is imperative that all parties stay committed to the denuclearization of the Peninsula, the peace and stability on the Peninsula and dialogue and consultation as a means to resolving relevant issues peacefully. Over the years, China has devoted a considerable amount of efforts to push for the easing of tension in the Korean Peninsula and the restart of the Six-Party Talks. We believe that the Six-Party Talks process is still a viable and effective means for the proper resolution of the Korean nuclear issue. The parties concerned should make a joint effort toward the early resumption of the talks and bring the Korean nuclear issue back into a sustainable, irreversible and effective dialogue process. Today, as we speak, the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process is being held in Beijing. It is an important effort China is making in order to realize durable peace, sustainable security and economic development in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a topic for discussion at the conference, and I believe you will contribute insights and wisdom for addressing the issue.

Fourth, China has managed differences and disputes through equal-footed consultation. China is committed to handling the disputes over territory, sovereignty and maritime rights and interests with the countries concerned through peaceful means. We stand ready to resolve the problems through dialogue and negotiations with utmost sincerity and patience. We have delineated land boundaries through friendly consultations with 12 of our 14 overland neighbors. We believe that the relevant maritime disputes must be resolved through friendly consultations and negotiations between the directly concerned states on the basis of respecting historical facts and the international law, and joint efforts must be made to uphold the overall interest of peace and stability in the region. China is committed to working with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and conclude a code of conduct in the South China Sea (COC) on the basis of consensus as early as possible. Various parties are in active exploration of the early harvest of the COC. That being said, China is firm in its resolve to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will never trade with our core interests. No country should expect China to swallow the bitter fruit that undermines its sovereignty, security and development interests. China will not stir up  trouble, but we are not afraid of trouble.

Fifth, through the building of the new model of major-country relations with the United States. China has generated positive energy for peace and stability in Asia. Last year, the presidents of the two countries had a successful meeting in Sunnylands, California, and reached an important consensus on building a new model of major-country relations between China and the United States. This is an important exploration and experiment made by the two countries in order to break the so-called "law" of unavoidable confrontation and conflict between big countries, and open up a new model of major-country relations. In Asia, China and the United States share closely intertwined interests and frequent interactions. The building of the new model of major-country relations begins in Asia, and is fully embodied in Asia. An ever-maturing and stable building of the new model of major-country relations between China and the US, will produce a significant and far-reaching impact on peace, stability and development in Asia as well as peace and stability of the world.

Dear Experts and Scholars,

The development of the theories and practices of the Asian security concept is a gradual and systematic process which calls for a long-term commitment. It requires not only macro design at the top level, but also the follow-up of concrete matching policies. It needs not only the facilitation of the government, but also support and help from the academic, media and all other communities. I believe that the ideas and wisdom generated from your discussion will contribute greatly to the building of the Asian security architecture.

To conclude, I wish the conference a great success. Thank you.

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