Interview: "Shanghai Five" Spirit points way for peaceful settlement of border disputes 20 years on: expert

The "Shanghai Five" Spirit is a testimony to the fact that mutual trust is not only an antidote for rampant conflicts in the present world, but also a source of prosperity, a Chinese expert on Central Asian affairs told Xinhua Wednesday.

Chen Yurong, a director at the China Institute of International Studies, made the remarks on the sidelines of a forum commemorating the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field in Border Areas.

The agreement, signed by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on April 26, 1996, ushered in an era of peace and prosperity which still benefit the people of Central Asia, Chen said.

The agreement, aimed to demilitarize borders between the five countries, saw all signing parties gradually reducing their military presence at border regions to defensive positions 100 km from their respective borders.

According to estimates, at least 30 percent of the military forces were cut, significantly easing lingering tensions in the region and rooting out a major threat to regional stability.

Seizing this momentum, China has fixated more than 7,000 km of borderline with the other four countries, accounting for one third of the land border length it shares with its neighbors.

"Without the agreement, there would be no stability in the Eurasia region, the agreement is in fact a cornerstone of regional stability after the Cold War," Chen said, adding that the agreement has had a far-reaching impact beyond the region.

"There is an increasing number of border disputes between countries in the modern world, furthermore, group politics and Cold War mentality are also on the rise," she said, adding that these factors pose growing risks to global security.

In this context, the "Shanghai Five" model, which has demonstrated that neighboring countries can contain differences and maintain border security through peaceful dialogues, offers an approach to soothe tensions.

"Border issues should be kept between the neighboring countries, and foreign intervention is counterproductive as it often complicates the situation, harms the interests of concerned countries and destabilizes the region," Chen said. Endi