Spotlight: Chinese president's address on Asian security cooperation answers real needs: experts

China's approach to and vision of regional security cooperation, outlined by Chinese President Xi Jinping at a key regional security conference on Thursday, are a pragmatic and timely answer to real needs of the region, international experts said.

The address shows once again that China attaches great importance to Asia's security, and will help maintain regional peace and stability, they said.

In an address at the opening ceremony of the fifth Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Beijing, Xi said it is important to adhere to and implement the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in Asia.

Andrei Ivanov, a senior fellow at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, said that China's foreign policy is one of the key factors for maintaining Asian and world peace and stability.

Observers noted that Xi reaffirmed China's position of adhering to dialogue and consultation on hot-button international issues, including the Korean Peninsula situation, Afghanistan's reconstruction, Syria's situation, Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, and the South China Sea issue.

Ivanov agreed with China's position on the Korean Peninsula situation, saying that the Chinese leader's timely statement calling for all sides to keep restraint will help bring the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula back to the track of negotiations.

Tokon Mamytov, former vice prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, told Xinhua that China's vision of Asia's security is "an effective prescription" to solve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as well as other challenging security issues.

The CICA was established in 1992 as a forum for dialogue and consultation on security issues in Asia. It has 26 member countries, with12 other countries and international organizations as observers.

At the CICA Summit in Shanghai in 2014, Xi proposed the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in Asia and the establishment of a new regional security cooperation framework based on the CICA.

China has played a constructive role in the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan and is supportive of the country's peaceful reconstruction and an "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" inclusive political reconciliation process.

Sekander Fraidoon, an Afghan political analyst, said China, as one of the important players in the region, "can play an important role in bringing peace and harmony in the region."

In particular, he noted that the regional economic cooperation initiatives led by China can support cooperation in Central Asia including Afghanistan.

In the address, Xi said China stands for a peaceful settlement of the Syrian issue and the Palestine-Israel issue through political negotiation. An early solution to these issues is conducive to all parties, and is a common expectation of the international community. China will continue to promote negotiation and a peaceful settlement.

Mahmoud Allam, former Egyptian ambassador to China, said he appreciates China's stance on the Middle East issues.

China has always offered support to the Palestinian people in their just cause to regain legitimate national rights and interests, and called for political settlement of the Syrian issue.

Ahmad Rafig Awad, a professor of political science at Al-Quds University, noted that Xi's speech mentioned the significance and urgency in solving the Palestinian issue.

"The U.S. hegemonist intervention has brought violence and conflicts to countries like Libya and Syria, and has allowed the extremist Islamic State to grow," said Bambang Suryono, president of the Indonesia-based Nanyang Asean Foundation.

"It is a stark contrast when China put forward the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in Asia," he said.

Xi said China is, and has always been, committed to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. China will firmly stand by its sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea, and remain committed to resolving disputes peacefully through friendly consultation and negotiation with countries directly concerned.

China will work with Southeast Asian nations to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation, he said.

Igor Shestakov, co-chairman of the "Pikir" regional club of experts in Kyrgyzstan, said China's stance that the South China Sea disputes should be resolved peacefully through friendly consultation and negotiation between countries directly concerned is a best approach.

"Asian countries, especially the Southeast Asian countries, should clearly give their support to the Chinese stance of safeguarding regional peace and stability in the South China Sea, and they should stick to the approach of solving disputes through friendly consultation and negotiation," Shestakov said.

Bambang Suryono said it is very worrying for certain countries to add to the instability by meddling in the South China Sea issue and even send warships on patrol missions there.

Asian countries should be the ones to have the say in regional security affairs, and countries from outside the region should not be allowed to meddle with Asian security affairs, Suryono said.

In his address, Xi stressed that the Chinese people, while pursuing their Chinese dream, will help and support people of other nations to achieve their dreams, and will work together with them to achieve the Asian dream of sustained peace and shared prosperity and create a great Asian future.

"China's foreign policies have always been popular in the whole world. China is truly a major power and we look forward to China playing a larger and more decisive role in solving regional disputes," said Allam. Endi