China’s Xi Jinping Calls for a Global Security Initiative

Less than two weeks after the international Schiller Institute conference took place on the theme of “A New Security and Development Architecture for All Nations” (cf. SAS 15-16/22), Chinese President Xi Jinping presented a remarkably similar proposal for a “Global Security Initiative”, in opening the annual Boao Forum for Asia on April 21. The concept, as laid out by SI chairwoman Helga Zepp-LaRouche, is to establish an all-inclusive security architecture for the entire world community, based on the UN Charter, the five principles of peaceful co-existence, and joint development.

The urgency of such an initiative could not be greater. While a majority of nations in the world would likely support it, NATO, led by the Anglo-American war party, insists that its “rules-based order” (deceivingly presented “democracy” and “human rights”) must prevail everywhere. For decades, the West arrogantly disregarded what Russia considers to be its vital security concerns, leading to the tragic conflict in Ukraine. And now, amid a deafening propaganda drive against Vladimir Putin in the mainstream media, Washington, London, and the major European capitals have given up even the pretense of seeking a negotiated diplomatic solution. Instead, weapons, military trainers and money are flowing into Ukraine at a rate no one can keep track of. The United States alone has provided $3.7 billion in military aid in just the past 60 days. The gamble is apparently to perpetuate the fighting, sacrificing the Ukrainian people and nation as useful pawns, in order to force Russia into capitulating to their bankrupt neoliberal order.

This is the same hideous geopolitical thinking, that led to two world wars in the last century, and to countless regime change wars since then. Hence, the strategic importance of President Xi’s proposal for a Global Security Initiative. At the Boao Forum, he pointed to the need to remain committed to a “vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable world peace and security”, to respect for “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries”, for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, and for “the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries”.

In addition, as Helga Zepp-LaRouche points out in an April 23 article, President Xi expressed the optimism that we need today, saying: “A review of human history teaches us that the more difficult things get, the greater the need grows to stay confident. Problems are not to be afraid of, as it is one problem after another that have driven the progress of human society. No difficulties could ever stop the wheel of history. Faced with the many challenges, we must not lose confidence, hesitate or flinch. Instead, we must firm up confidence and press ahead against all odds.”

This shows, concludes Helga Zepp-LaRouche, that “Xi Jinping is a friend of the philosophy of Leibniz, whose idea of the ‘best of all worlds’ lies in the fact that every evil in the world can produce an even greater good, and that the individual’s courageous commitment to overcome problems increases the degrees of freedom in the universe.”

We urge all our readers to sign and circulate the Schiller Institute petition for a “New Security and Development Architecture”, available here.