‘Sovereignty, territorial integrity must be respected for safer world’

MUNICH: Director Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs attending the 59th Munich Security Conference here said that I am delighted to join you in person at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) after three years and meet face to face with friends old and new.

He said I recall vividly how I came here with the Chinese delegation three years ago when Covid-19 just struck. I presented China’s efforts in fighting the virus and urged solidarity among countries in face of the trying times. The international community gave China valuable understanding and support, for which we are deeply grateful.

Humanity’s three-year fight against Covid tells us a simple truth: as President Xi Jinping repeatedly stressed, we are members of one global village, and we belong to one community with a shared future. We can overcome challenges when we stand together; we can win victory when we trust each other, he added.

Wang Yi said three years on, the pandemic is contained, but the world is not yet safer. Trust between major countries is lacking, geopolitical rifts are widening, unilateralism is rampant, the Cold War mentality is back, new types of security threats from energy, food, climate, bio-security and artificial intelligence keep emerging.

Standing at a critical juncture of history, human society must not repeat the old path of antagonism, division and confrontation, and must not fall into the trap of zero-sum game, war and conflict.

Making the world a safer place is the strong desire of all people, the common responsibility of all countries, and more importantly, the right direction for the advance of our times. For a safer world, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, he observed.