By Yu Sui, researcher with the Research Center of
Contemporary World
February 19 is the 10th anniversary of the death of Deng
Xiaoping, the architect of China's reform and opening-up.
His incisive analysis of the world situation has been borne out
by developments over the last decade.
As early as the 1980s, Deng emphasized time and again that there
were two questions of global strategic importance. One was the
issue of peace and the other economics, or development. In 1992, he
pointed out: "Neither of the two major issues of world peace and
development has so far been resolved."
Looking back, we find that the issues of peace and development
have remained at the center of the agenda for our times in spite of
interfering factors cropping up from time to time.
Over the last decade, the tragedy of a world war has not been
reproduced on the global stage although regional wars and local
strife keep haunting the world. On the other hand, the Cold War
mentality died hard.
This vindicates Deng's forecast. He observed in October 1984:
"We sense that the risk of war is still there and we need to
heighten our alert. However, the factors that serve to stop the
outbreak of a new world war are on the rise." In June 1985, Deng
said: "It is possible that no full-scale world war will break out
for a fairly long time to come. There is hope for world peace."
Deng, however, never overlooked the treacherous nature of the
international situation or its gravity. For instance, he said in
November 1989: "I hoped that the Cold War would come to an end. But
I'm disappointed now. It looks possible that one Cold War has ended
and two more have begun, with one directed against the South, or
the Third World, and the other against socialism." His words fit
perfectly into the world situation in the wake of the end of the
Cold War.
Over the last decade, the multi-polarization of the world has
made significant headway and has been developing in depth, though
traveling through twists and turns.
Deng's ideas about multi-polarization were conceived and ripened
in the 1980s. Time and again he observed that the situation should
be put to an end in which what the two superpowers said counted in
world affairs.
He observed in March 1990: "The monopoly of the United States
and the Soviet Union on world affairs is being weakened. The Soviet
Union will remain one of the poles no matter how many poles the
world political framework has in the future three poles, four poles
or five poles and no matter how much it is weakened, with a number
of its republics seceding from the Union. China is one of the
poles. We should not belittle ourselves. China is one of the poles
in any circumstance."
The world political structure later did turn out to be
multi-polar, though the United States remains the sole superpower.
This does not, however, mean the world is unipolar.
Over the last decade, the efforts to advance democracy in
international relations through a new international political order
has won increasingly wide support, though the efforts face
Herculean difficulties.
On the eve of the end of the Cold War, Deng repeatedly expounded
on the necessity of establishing a new international order on the
basis of five principles of peaceful coexistence. He believed that
the five principles should be applied as the principles guiding
international relations.
His suggestions largely promoted the spread of the ideas of
democracy in international relations. Now the Chinese leadership
has put forward the ideas of building a harmonious society in China
and bringing about a world in harmony. They are the embodiment of
Deng's thoughts on democracy in international relations.
Over the last decade, pluralism in terms of development models
has become an irresistible trend across the world. This has
happened despite people with a hegemony mentality pushing their
values of "democracy" across the world by any means, including use
of force.
Deng believed: "The questions of the world are not expected to
be resolved by one model." He continued that China should not copy
the approaches of the Western capitalist countries or those of
other socialist nations. He drew lessons from the failure of the
Soviet model and charted China's unique path of development, which
finds expression in reform and opening-up.
Over the last decade, the idea that individual countries should
develop their bilateral relations by transcending their different
ideologies has been gaining wider acceptance, though human rights
are often used as an excuse by some countries to interfere with
other countries' internal affairs.
Based on his experience as a statesman active in the world
political arena for decades, Deng advanced the idea that relations
between different countries should not be determined by ideologies.
He said that feuds and disputes in the past, different social
systems and varying ideologies should not be allowed to get in the
way of handling relations between different countries. He went on
to say that all countries, no matter how powerful or weak, how big
or small, should treat one another equally.
Over the last decade, the basic principle that one country
safeguards its own interests and also respects others' interests
has set in motion a tolerant cycle of interaction between
countries, despite the sharp fluctuations punctuating relations
between the big powers.
In October 1989, Deng said: "In handling relations with other
countries, one should proceed from one's own national strategic
interests. While taking care of one's own long-term strategic
interests, one should respect others' interests."
When he met a group of Indian visitors, Deng said: "Since the
border issue is hard to resolve at present, it can wait. We have
many things to do in the fields of trade, economy and culture."
Over the last decade, the principle that shelving disputes and
engaging in joint development in handling territorial feuds in
particular disputes involving maritime resources has been
increasingly embraced by farsighted people in many countries.
(China Daily February 15, 2007)