Overseas scholars laud security concept proposed by Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) speaks during the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), in Shanghai, east China, May 21, 2014. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Shanghai on Wednesday, drawing positive responses from experts and scholars overseas.

The concept of building a new Asia, proposed by Xi at the summit, is absolutely right, said Qian Feng, vice director of Asian Daily in Thailand.

In his speech, Xi emphasized that countries should be treated equally with regard to security. Qian said the idea is far-sighted and will boost the harmonious relations in Asia.

Countries in Asia vary greatly in size, strength, and wealth, said Qian. However, Xi emphasized equal security for every Asian country and rejected the monopoly of security issues by only one country, said Qian. This thinking mirrors the magnanimity of China as a big country, Qian added.

Prof. Yuri Tavrovsky from the Moscow-based Peoples' Friendship University of Russia said Xi's initiative to create a new security architecture in Asia in his speech is a great target and is very significant in current circumstances.

The current CICA mechanism is conducive to creating the necessary atmosphere for discussion of security issues, said the professor.

Tavrovsky also noted that China has been pursuing a good-neighborly foreign policy.

Regional projects of strategic nature announced by China, such as "the Economic Zone of the Silk Road," "the Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century," among others, will help promote economic and cultural cooperation with its neighbors in Asia and maintain the peace and stability in the region, said Tavrovsky.

Nguon Serath, editor-in-chief of the Cambodia Herald, an English-language news website, said recent political development in the region has been posing a threat to Asia's security and it requires all parties in dispute to be patient and solve their differences by peaceful means, with aderence to the principles of mutual understanding, trust, benefit and existing laws.

"It is the right time that President Xi raised security concerns at the conference," he said, "It is important that leaders in Asia find a mechanism to ensure peace and security, which are instrumental for maintaining the reputation of Asia as a rising-star."

"I believe that no other countries know Asia more than Asians themselves, so Asian nations should deal with any issues among themselves for the common interests of Asia as a whole," he said.

Dr. Lee Young-ju, director of South Korea's China Political, Economic and Cultural Academy, told Xinhua that the "common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable" Asian security concept, proposed by Xi, keeps up with the times and is a security concept that meets the common interests of countries in the Asian region.

The current world situation is highly volatile and all countries are facing security issues such as territorial disputes, terrorism, environmental pollution, information leaks and so on, Lee said.

Asian countries need to unite through closer cooperation to solve these problems, Lee said, hoping China can play a leading role in maintaining regional security in Asia.

Lee also said Xi's Asian security concept fully reflects the Asian awareness, as it considers the demands of various countries in Asia and bears a practical significance for the settlement of the nuclear issue and other hot issues in Asia.

Cha Jae-bok, researcher of Northeast Asia History Foundation of South Korea, noted that Xi quoted a Kazakh proverb, "One who tries to blow other's oil lamp will get his beard on fire," when he gave a speech to elaborate the security concept.

It is vivid and demonstrates security shall be universal, equal and inclusive, said Cha, adding this security concept is based on the common interests of all countries in Asia.

As for the four proposals put forward by Xi, Cha said that they are reasonable and necessary. As time goes, CICA should keep up with the times and move to a more inclusive and open direction.

Strengthening the capacity and mechanism of CICA can help deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields between countries and Xi's proposals are fully constructive and far-sighted.

Azimova Sarvaroy, deputy director of the National Information Agency of Tajikistan, said he totally agrees with Xi's judgement that peace, development and mutually beneficial cooperation are the main trends in the region.

He said Tajikistan has some small problems with neighboring countries and hopes to promote dialogue and cooperation within the framework of the CICA summit and realize lasting security and development.

Sarvaroy said Xi's vision of jointly building a shared and win-win road for Asian security is very necessary.

He hopes that China and Tajikistan could make joint efforts to contribute to building such a road and cooperate further in fighting the "three evil forces" of separatism, extremism and terrorism and ensuring security along the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Ibrahim Yusuf, chairman of the executive board of the Indonesian Council on World Affairs, said: "We, the Asian nations, should not be divided. Our problems should be solved by ourselves ... I think, through CICA, we can solve the problems in the Asian way and by ourselves."

Abayas Abylayuly, researcher on international relations of the Kazakh Humanities and Law University, said that the concepts President Xi expressed in his speech are not only meaningful to CICA itself, but also serve like a compass to the future security cooperation of Asian countries.

He noted that Xi put a lot of emphasis on the importance of development to achieving security.

He considered the imbalance in development as one of the key factors that led to insecurity in the region. While improving people's living standards, narrowing down the gap between the rich and the poor is a best way to tackle the problem.

More development and more cooperation will hopefully lead to a more secured environment. In this way development is the key to solving regional issues, he added.

Saifuddin Saihoon, Afghan political analyst and a Kabul University professor, said the notion suggested by Xi that Asian countries should solve their problems by themselves and Asia needs durable security is a good idea and obviously would be welcomed.

It is a fact that terrorism, separatism and fundamentalism exist in Asia. Afghanistan has been suffering from the trio menaces. Overcoming the menaces requires joint cooperation, he said.