Two contrasting world views

Chinese and U.S. leaders recently expressed two sharply contrasting world views.

In his commencement speech at West Point, U.S. President Barack Obama said, "America must always lead on the world stage."

In contrast, in his speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence," Chinese President Xi Jinping said no country should monopolize world affairs.

"All countries are equal members of the international community, whether they are big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor," Xi said.

In the speech at West Point, Obama went on to say, "In the 21st century, American isolationism is not an option."

So America is to continue intervening everywhere in the world. The United States became an empire by waging foreign wars, beginning with the Mexican-American war in which America annexed huge chunks of Mexican territory, and the Spanish-American War in which America occupied Cuba and the Philippines.

In contrast, Xi, in his speech, called on countries to uphold common security.

"All countries have the right to participate in international and regional security affairs on an equal footing and shoulder the shared responsibility to maintain security both internationally and in various regions," Xi said. "We should champion common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and respect and ensure every country's security."

Even at the zenith of China's power during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zheng He led a 200-ship fleet on seven peaceful and friendly missions to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and East Africa. As Chinese leaders noted, expansion and aggression are not in Chinese people's DNA. Instead the Chinese tradition has always been peace, friendship and harmony.

U.S. history is filled with subversion and regime change by CIA, notably the subversion of Iran's democratically elected government of Mohammed Mossadeq, the Guatemalan government of Jacobo Arbenz and the Chilean government of Salvador Allende.

Recently the United States has openly waged wars to affect regime change in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, killing Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland directed the coup in Kiev that deposed democratically elected Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych. And Obama is bent on overthrowing Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

All these actions are in direct violation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each others' internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence.

As President Xi pointed out, these five principles are not outdated but remain as relevant and important in handling international relations.

In 1954, when Chinese, Indian and Myanmar leaders initiated the Five Principles, I was on the staff of a newly commenced news magazine and we enthusiastically reported the historic event. "Penchasheela" and "Hindi-Chinni Baiyi baiyi" resounded all over the place. Sixty years have elapsed, and those words are as fresh as ever.

War, intervention and regime change are against the current of history. Peace, development and cooperation must prevail.