The Global View of Pursuing Peace Among All Countries
"Bringing peace to all states" was one of the basic principles abided by ancient China in dealing with relations among its states, calling for peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation. This idea originated in The Book of History (Shang Shu). The full quote reads: "Carry forward great virtue so as to foster harmony within families; then, coordinate relations among the people so as to bring about harmony within society; and then, coordinate the interests of different states so as to bring peace to all states." It reflects the political wisdom of Yao, a legendary leader of allied tribes in ancient China. From handling relationships within a family to managing relationships among states, this system of thought was based on the principle of addressing issues from the micro to the macro, and from the close to the far, embodying the harmony-based wisdom in governance. The purpose of this idea was to form cooperative and complementary relations among all people and all ethnic groups by bringing their respective advantages into play. In this way, the ideal of "all states staying together in peace" could be realized. In traditional Chinese society, the idea of "bringing peace to all states" was carried forward by statesmen and thinkers for generations and applied in dealing with relations with neighboring countries, and over time, it was crystalized into an important concept of traditional Chinese culture.
Nowadays, the idea of "bringing peace to all states" has developed into a principle for coordinating relations among different countries with the aim of ensuring mutual respect, mutual cooperation and shared development for all. Founded on the awareness of pursuing coexistence in harmony and win-win cooperation, the global view of pursuing peace among all countries embodies traditional Chinese wisdom in governance and constitutes the basic principle for China to deal with international relations in the new era.
协和万邦的国际观
协和万邦，是中国古代处理邦国之间关系的基本原则，即和睦共处、合作共赢。“协和万邦”出自《尚书》，所谓“克明俊德，以亲九族。九族既睦，平章百姓。百姓昭明，协和万邦”。这里表达的是中国上古时期部落联盟首领尧的政治智慧，即弘扬品德，让家族和睦；继而协调百姓，协调各个家族之间的关系，以实现社会和睦；再协调万邦诸侯，让各个邦国实现和谐合作。从家族到天下关系的处理，这是一个“由小及大”“由近及远”的思想体系，集中体现以“和”（和谐）为依据的治理智慧。协和万邦的目标就是让不同的人和族群都能够发挥各自优势，形成合作、互补，从而实现“万国咸宁”。在中国传统社会，“协和万邦”的理念为历代政治家和思想家所传承和弘扬，并被运用于处理本国与周边国家的关系，从而成为中国传统文化的一个重要理念。
在当代社会，协和万邦的内涵得到引申和拓展，就是协调不同国家之间的关系，让世界各国都能够相互尊重、相互合作、共同发展。协和万邦的国际观，以和谐共处、合作共赢为基本理念，是中国传统治理智慧的集中体现，也是新时代中国处理国际关系的原则基础。
