Page 5 - ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE
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BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE
of the Red Cross. Over more than 150 years, the Red Cross has become
a symbol and a banner. In the face of frequent humanitarian crises,
we should champion the spirit of humanitarianism, compassion, and
dedication and give love and hope to ordinary innocent people caught
in dire situations. We should uphold the basic principles of neutrality,
impartiality, and independence, refrain from politicizing humanitarian
issues, and remain committed to the non-militarization of humanitarian
assistance.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
Great visions are simple and pure; all they require is action. Action
is thus the key to building a human community with a shared future. It is
my belief that the international community should work on promoting
partnership, security, growth, intercultural exchanges, and ecological
conservation.
We should build a world of enduring peace through dialogue and
consultation. When countries enjoy peace, so too will the world; when
countries clash, the world suffers. From the Peloponnesian War in the
fifth century BC to the two world wars and the Cold War that lasted
more than four decades, we have drawn painful and profound lessons.
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“History, if not forgotten, can serve as a guide for the future.” By
establishing the United Nations, those before us won more than 70 years
of relative peace for the world. What we must do is to improve our
mechanisms and methods to more effectively resolve disputes, reduce
tensions, and put an end to conflict and war.
The Swiss writer and Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse stressed
the importance of serving “not war and destruction, but peace and
reconciliation.” Countries should foster partnerships based on dialogue,
non-confrontation, and non-alliance. Major countries should respect each
other’s core interests and major concerns, keep their differences under
control, and build a new model of relations based on non-conflict, non-
confrontation, mutual respect, and mutually beneficial cooperation. As
long as we maintain communication and treat each other with sincerity,
the “Thucydides trap” can be avoided. Big countries should treat smaller
ones as equals and avoid acting as hegemons imposing their will on
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