"The thought of harmony is a major component of the Chinese culture that highlights a harmonious union of people," says Professor Zhang Liwen, of the Beijing-Based Renmin University.
Harmony means coordination, combination, integration and peace among different elements. "It's a reflection of the Chinese people's ethical principles and a basic element of China's modern diplomacy."
Late premier Zhou Enlai played a crucial role in formulating the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" in 1954, which are now the fundamental guidelines for international relations. In the early 1980s, Deng Xiaoping proposed the "independent foreign policy of peace". Since the turn of the century, the Chinese leadership has pledged to take a "path of peaceful development".
"The continuity in the strategies of different generations of Chinese leaders shows that China, facing a complex and changing world, has always regarded peace and harmony as a priority," says Ruan Zongze.
In 2005, as China started to advance social harmony in the domestic sphere, it also declared its pursuit for building up a harmonious world in the international arena.
President Hu Jintao advocated this concept at the United Nation's 60th anniversary summit, saying: "Multilateralism, mutually beneficial cooperation and the spirit of inclusiveness should be upheld to realize common security, prosperity, and to build a world where all civilizations coexist harmoniously and accommodate each other."
Hu pointed out that the inevitability that China will develop peacefully is based on its national circumstances, historical and cultural tradition and world development trends.
At the end of 2005, the Chinese government for the first time issued a white paper on peaceful development. "Harmony" was described as the building of a peaceful and prosperous world as the ultimate goal of China's development.
During a national meeting on foreign affairs in August last year, the government vowed to create a sound international environment and favorable external conditions for the country's development and to contribute to the construction of a harmonious world. (more)
Source: Xinhua
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