Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the international anti-terror campaign has entered an unparalleled phase. The struggle led by the US and with the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and North Africa as the battleground has never been so intense.

Substantial progress has been made, with telling blows being dealt to terrorist cells and parts of terror networks being paralyzed.

However, international terrorism, though having suffered, has managed to fight back and in a more ferocious way. This is especially true of the Middle East, where waves of terrorist attacks have been staged and are expected in the future. International terrorism will certainly assert itself against the international community for a fairly long period to come.

China's basic attitude is: condemning all forms of terrorism; the anti-terror campaign should target the root causes of terrorism besides military means; the UN should play a leading role in the anti-terror campaign.

The terrorist threat China is currently facing is real. As a victim of terror, China opposes all forms of terrorism and plays an active role in international anti-terror co-operation.

There is, however, much more to be done.

First, the anti-terror campaign should respect the pluralism of civilization. Terrorism is not the product of conflicts between different civilizations, nor the product of religious confrontation. So, the anti-terror war should not be employed as a means to confront other civilizations. Instead, all civilizations, religions and cultures should be respected. Playing off the people belonging to one civilization against those of a different civilization in the name of fighting terrorism only leads to chaos in the world rather than uprooting terrorism.

Second, the principles of the UN Charter and the universally accepted international legal norms should be respected in the anti-terror campaign.

At present, the definition of terrorism varies widely from one country to another. So the leading role of the UN in the anti-terror struggle must be upheld and enhanced. And the authoritative status of international legal norms should be emphasized and these principles come before the national interests of individual countries.

A salient question in the current anti-terror struggle is that some countries are implementing dual standards with respect to fighting terrorism. This only serves to give international terrorism opportunities to survive and develop.

Third, the anti-terror struggle is not merely meeting violence with violence. Terrorism is the extreme expression of hate and despair. So, the anti-terror campaign does not simply mean conquering by force, which only fans the flames of hatred all the more and, in turn, helps create a more fertile breeding ground for terrorism.

It is imperative that economic development be promoted in poor areas of the world, and estrangement and hate between different nations, religions and civilizations be eliminated.

Fourth, the anti-terror struggle should not become an excuse or means for pushing a country's geopolitical interests or promoting one's own values worldwide.

At present, many "selfish calculations" lurk behind the anti-terror campaign seeking one's own geopolitical and strategic interests, promoting Western values of democracy and controlling energy supplies. All this makes the anti-terror struggle deviate from its original track, making international anti-terror co-operation increasingly difficult.

Other countries' living space and national interests must be taken into consideration in the anti-terror campaign.  

(China Daily December 14, 2005)