China Reiterates Mutual Respect for Sovereignty, Independence

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, September 03, 2003

China Reiterates Mutual Respect for Sovereignty, Independence

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A top Chinese delegate to the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) General Assembly Tuesday reiterated the importance of mutual respect for sovereignty and independence to peace and security.

"International security and stability cannot be maintained and international relations cannot develop on a sound basis unless there is mutual respect for sovereignty and independence," Wang Yunlong, deputy secretary general of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress, said at an AAPP workshop.

"In recent years, some arguments challenging sovereign independence have surfaced, such as the doctrines of 'sovereignty being outdated' and 'limited sovereignty,'" Wang said.

He noted these arguments and ideas have often served as pretexts of some countries for interfering in other countries' internal affairs, and especially for using force against others, which have fundamentally contravened the principle of state sovereignty and endangered international security and stability and therefore not been endorsed by the international community.

Wang said sovereignty is the intrinsic nature of a country as well as the basis on which international relations depend for their existence and development and Charter of the United Nations set forth the principle of the sovereign equality of all its members, which the United Nations and its members shall abide by.

"In the meantime, sovereignty is the basis for international relations, and national sovereign independence does not reject the development of international relations," he said.

Wang added while a country can accede to any treaty and join any international organization on a voluntary basis, it shall abide by the universally recognized principles of international law so that its sovereign rights will be kept within certain bounds.

"As the economic globalization and regional integration grow, state-to-state cooperation will be further intensified and mutual links will be closer. Yet this does not mean that countries will give up their sovereign independence and the status of sovereignty as the intrinsic nature of a country and the cornerstone for international relations will remain unchanged," he said.

"China stands for and pursues the principle of sovereign equality. While it cherishes its own state sovereignty, China respects that of others," Wang said.

He noted that as early as in the 1950s, China, together with India, Myanmar and other Asian neighbors, initiated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the first principle of which is mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"China will, as always, take mutual respect for sovereignty and independence as the basis for developing relations with other countries in the new historical period," Wang said.

The fourth AAPP General Assembly opened here on Monday and four workshops were held Tuesday to discuss political issues, economic development, peace and security and Women and youth.

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