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The Fifth China-U.S. Civil Society Peace Forum Was Successfully Held

Sponsored by Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, American Friends Service Committee, Ningxia People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and co-sponsored by Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office and China Foundation for Peace and Development, the Fifth China-U.S. Civil Society Peace Forum was successfully held in Yinchuan, Ningxia, China from May 6 to 8, 2014. The main theme is “Dialogue for Understanding, Cooperation for Common Development --- to Jointly Build A New Type of Great Power Relations between China and the United States.”

Li Wuwei, Vice-Chairman of the 11th CPPCC National Committee and CPAPD Honorary Vice President; Li Jianhua, Secretary of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Committee, the CPC; Liu Hui, Governor of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region; Mao Rubai, Chairman of the Committee on Environmental and Resources Protection of the 10th NPC, and Advisor to the CPAPD; Li Jinjun, Vice Minister, International Department, CCCPC, and advisor to CPAPD and more than 60 experts from research institutions and universities in Beijing and Shanghai and U.S. think tanks, universities and American Friends Service Committee attended the Forum. On the morning of May 6, the opening ceremony was held and was chaired by Mao Rubai. Li Wuwei made the keynote speech, Li Jianhua and Lawrence Korb, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, USA, made welcoming speeches. In the evening, Li Wuwei met U.S. experts and Qu Dongyu, Vice Governor of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, hosted a welcoming dinner. During the Forum, the Chinese and the U.S. experts extensively exchanged views and held thorough discussions on topics of “new strategic dynamics and security challenges”, “new great power relations between China and the United States”, “the U.S. rebalancing and evolving American and Chinese engagement in East Asia”, “China-U.S. cooperation in Southeast Asia”. Before leaving Ningxia, the Chinese and the U.S. experts had a field visit to the Baijitan Sand-fixation Forest.

The leaders from the Chinese side have explained the story of China’s peaceful development, expressed the idea of win-win cooperation and actively promoted the building of a new type of great power relations between China and the United States. Li Wuwei made the keynote speech entitled “Strengthen Exchanges, Enhance Mutual Trust and Inject Positive Energy into the Building of a New Type of Great Power Relations Between China And the United States”, in which he points out that the world today is undergoing profound and complex changes. China and the United States shoulder shared responsibility in safeguarding world peace and stability and in promoting development and progress of mankind. When President Xi Jinping and President Obama met at the Annenberg Retreat in June 2013, they put forward the proposition of building a new type of great power relations featuring non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation, pointing the right direction for the development of bilateral relations. To build a new type of relations, we must continuously increase strategic mutual trust, actively expand areas of practical cooperation, provide new thinking for solving international hot-spot issues and global problems, shape a new pattern of sound interactions in the Asia-Pacific region, unswervingly nurture friendship between the people so that the new type of great power relations between China and the United States will be built on a stronger foundation of public support. While meeting the U.S. experts, Li Wuwei expressed, China adheres to the road of peaceful development and is a positive guardian and reformer of the international order, a staunch guardian and propeller of the world peace, is an important collaborator and driving force for global development. Li Jianhua expressed in his speech that people in Ningxia would like to inject new vitality in developing China-U.S. relations and open the door wider for the local exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States. Lawrence Korb expressed that the United States hopes to establish strategic and cooperative partnership with the developing China, solve disputes through dialogue, further strengthen cooperation so as to realize economic prosperity and strategic security in the two countries.

The Chinese and U.S. experts held extensive exchanges and interactions on relevant topics which strengthened mutual understanding. The Chinese experts systematized their views on the major issues of China’s peaceful foreign policy, international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, military transparency, the building of a new type of great power relations between China and the United States, the Asia-Pacific security, disputes over maritime rights and interests, climate change, energy security etc; and criticized the U.S. actions including its rebalancing policy, provoking the relations between China and China’s neighboring countries, seeking to build offensive and defensive absolute military security by harming other countries’ security, pursuing double standards on nonproliferation and anti-terrorism. The Chinese experts’ explanation has facilitated the U.S. experts to have a better understanding of China’s relevant policies and practices, and have broadened and deepened understanding of complexity of the maritime issues. Both sides believe that China and the United States should develop consensus, expand cooperation, control disputes and promote steady development of China-U.S. relations.

The Ningxia leaders vividly told its stories to the Chinese and U.S. experts and helped the participants have a good understanding of Ningxia. Li Jianhua expressed that Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has a total population of 6541900 in 2013, of which the Muslim population accounts for 35.84%, being the largest Muslim hometown in China. In recent years, Ningxia’s socioeconomic cause has embarked on a track of sustained, rapid and healthy development. With the reform and opening up in full swing, Ningxia has achieved initial success in economic structural adjustment, and significant changes in urban and rural areas, and people’s living standards have been greatly improved. The Ningxia Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ningxia Poverty Alleviation Department and the Ningxia Development and Reform Commission respectively introduced the religious and ethnic affairs, poverty alleviation work and the efforts to deal with challenge of the climate change in Ningxia. Ningxia has left a deep impression on the U.S. experts. Just as one of the experts said that before coming here, he only knows Xinjiang has Muslims, now there are so many Muslims in Ningxia and they live harmoniously with the Han people.