Learning keywords is one of the best ways to keep abreast of the latest developments in a country. The China Academy of Translation, a research institute affiliated with the China International Publishing Group, the country's leading international publisher, regularly analyzes prevailing Chinese terms in various sectors and translates them into a number of foreign languages ranging from English to Arabic. In each issue, Beijing Review presents a selection of these keywords to help readers know more about China. 

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence

In 1954, China, India and Myanmar jointly proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, namely, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. The enunciation of these principles was a major initiative in the history of international relations and a significant contribution to the building of a new type of just and equitable international relations.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence give concrete expression to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and facilitate their implementation. Having been tested by the evolution of international relations in the past six decades, they have become general principles of international law, which reflect openness and inclusiveness, and emphasize the importance of respect for sovereignty, justice, democracy and rule of law.

In this new era, China will continue to uphold and promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and work with the international community to bring lasting peace, prosperity, and harmony to the world.

Peaceful development

The concept of peaceful development is underpinned by a focus on:

--seeking peaceful development with the help of a peaceful international environment while also contributing to the maintenance of world peace through China's own development initiatives;

--relying on its own efforts, particularly through reform and innovation, to achieve progress while also opening wider to the rest of the world and learning from the experiences of other countries;

--adapting to the process of economic globalization and seeking mutual benefits for all; and

--working with the international community to bring lasting peace, prosperity, and harmony to the world.

China's commitment to peaceful development is unshakable, and it encourages all other countries to do the same. China will take on more international responsibilities, work with other countries to uphold humanity's best interests and international norms, and stand for justice in regional and international affairs. International disputes should be resolved by peaceful means. Never seeking hegemony or pursuing an expansionist foreign policy itself, China opposes all forms of hegemony and power politics. It is China's consistent position to encourage the search for win-win solutions that take into account the interests of other countries as well as those of its own, and are beneficial to all. It is essential to foster cooperative interaction among members of the world community.

As China's experience of reform and opening up over the past 30 years and more shows, the pursuit of peaceful development has been a crucial strategic move that is based on the considerations of China's national conditions, social system and cultural traditions. It represents a timely response to today's imperatives and serves the fundamental interests of China, and those of its neighbors and the rest of the world.

Safeguarding the core interests of China

China's commitment to peaceful development and mutually beneficial cooperation is underpinned by its determination to safeguard its national core interests. These interests include state sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, national reunification, stability of its political system established by the Constitution and overall social stability, and the need to ensure sustainable economic and social development.

China will never give up its legitimate rights and interests. No foreign country should harbor the illusion that China would trade its core interests, or allow harm to be done to its sovereignty, security or development.

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