Opinion | Ukraine crisis: how Cold War mentality and power politics are hindering the quest for global peace
- China has been working to defuse tensions and restore peace in its own way, promoting dialogue, opposing damaging sanctions and giving humanitarian aid
- Finding the greatest common ground that is in everybody’s security interests is crucial to world peace
The Chinese proverb “replacing weapons with gifts of jade and silk” dates back more than 2,000 years while “beating swords into ploughshares” is recorded in the Book of Isaiah. Both convey the same message: peace and development are universal aspirations.
However, the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis has gripped the world. War on the European continent is the last thing peace lovers want to see. Europe has experienced two world wars and a Cold War that lasted more than four decades. If history is a mirror, we need to reflect on how to end the war and rebuild peace.
There are complex and special historical factors to the Ukraine issue but at its root is the Cold War mentality and power politics. Since the start of the crisis, China has made independent judgments, and dedicated efforts in its own way to defuse tensions and restore peace.
