Keep History in Mind and Treasure Peace for the Future By Gao Feng
Vice Chairman of China Committee on Religion and Peace,
President of China Christian Council
Honorable colleagues and friends,
It gives me great pleasure to attend this seminar representing the China Committee on Religion and Peace. We appreciate the thoughtful organization and arrangement of the host, the Korean Conference on Religion and Peace, and wish the conference a complete success.
East Asian countries are close neighbors to each other. China has an old saying, “A distant relative is not as helpful as a close neighbor”, from which we can see the importance of good relations among neighbors. In our history, East Asian countries had abundant friendly exchanges although the modern history of East Asia is suffused with blood, tears and trauma. The atrocities committed by the Japanese militarists and fascists during World War II not only brought grave disasters to the Chinese people, but also inflicted enormous pain on people across East Asia. “How to heal the historical trauma of East Asia and usher in a better future” is a serious question facing all East Asian countries. Our host put forward the concept of “East Asian Community of Peace” with peace as the core word. This shows again that peace is the top priority for people of all countries and it is the common will of all people to seek peace.
Dear friends,
As is known to all, China has an independent foreign policy of peace and is committed to peaceful development and a win-win strategy of opening up, with a view to building a harmonious world of enduring peace and common prosperity. China’s peaceful development needs a sound external environment, so China devotes itself to developing good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with its neighbors. This is not an expediency, but the set policy of the Chinese government and a choice we have bearing in mind the long-term interests of China and the East Asian people.
Currently, the region is generally stable, and peace, development and cooperation remain the dominant theme. Asia has led world economic recovery. Relations among major countries in the world are stable in general. Emerging markets have maintained the momentum of development. Both the building of the ASEAN community and cooperation in East Asia are pressing ahead. Dialogue and cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN Regional Forum are advancing. In dealing with regional hotspots and maintaining peace and stability, the Chinese government has articulated the following principles. First, under the complicated and sensitive circumstances, we should keep the big picture in mind and always aim to maintain regional peace and stability. Second, we should adopt a new security concept, seek cooperation rather than confrontation, and respect and accommodate each other’s core interests and security concerns. Third, we should show mutual respect, enhance strategic trust, and develop healthy and steady state-to-state relations for the long term. Fourth, we should treasure peace, show calm and restraint and resolve disputes through peaceful means. Fifth, we should promote common interests and security through multilateral cooperation and give full play to the unique roles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Six-Party Talks.
The Chinese people and the Chinese religious community fully support the Chinese government’s independent foreign policy of peace and its position on hotspot issues in the region. We maintain that peace is a concept and goal shared by all religions. To maintain peace is the natural duty of all believers. Religion can heal trauma, create peace and restore good relations between countries. It is the bounden duty of the religious community to heal historical traumas and create peace for the future. The East Asian countries, with painful memories of World War II, should treasure the hard-won environment of peace and safeguard it.
China has a large population of believers. There are altogether over 100 million people in China following the five major religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity). In 1994, the China Committee on Religion and Peace was established with a mission to promote friendship, peace, development and cooperation. In August 1995, the CCRP organized a symposium commemorating the 50th anniversary of the World Anti-Fascist War and issued the Message of the Chinese Religious Community for Peace. The Message called on all believers to join hands in safeguarding peace and opposing war, and proposed that all religions in China hold nationwide ceremonies simultaneously to pray for world peace and that the “Week of Praying for World Peace” be designated for all Chinese religious believers. Fourteen years has passed since the annual event first took place. It is a concrete action of the Chinese religious community to uphold peace and it has been well received. The CCRP has actively participated in the activities for peace organized by international inter-faith organizations such as the World Conference on Religion and Peace and the Asian Conference on Religions for Peace, engaged in dialogue and communication with the religious communities of other countries, and made its own efforts to promote peace and achieve world peace and tranquility. Now, concerning peace in East Asia, we would like to make the following proposals.
First, keep history in mind and treasure peace. If we wish to achieve lasting peace, we should remember history. There is an old saying in China: “The past, if not forgotten, can serve as a guide for the future.” Our stress on keeping history in mind is not to perpetrate hatred, but to avoid the repeat of tragedy. Only when people respect history and face up to the blood and tears in it, will they not repeat previous mistakes and interact and communicate with others with tolerance, improve mutual understanding among East Asian peoples and treasure and safeguard peace.
Second, religion should serve as the promoter of peace in East Asia. All religions have doctrines of peace. We should give full play to the positive role of religions and help the notion of peace take root in people’s heart. We should oppose all actions that will do harm to peace and inculcate our believers with the doctrine for peace and against war. We should call on people to resolve conflicts and disputes through peaceful means, oppose the threat or willful use of force, strengthen the power of peace and dispel misgivings, misunderstanding and hatred.
Third, enhance communication and mutual trust for the future. Better communication and stronger mutual trust are the foundation of cooperation and the precondition for resolving conflicts and problems. The basis of peace and friendship in East Asia lies with the people. As an important bridge between countries and nations, religion has a special role to display in maintaining regional peace and stability. It is of great significance for maintaining peace in East Asia and the lasting peace of the world to further strengthen communication among East Asian religious groups, expand common ground and enhance mutual trust. We believers should promote and practice the notions of friendship, tolerance and harmony, call on East Asian countries to keep in mind their long-term development and enduring prosperity and stability of the region, treat each other with respect and on an equal footing as good neighbors and partners, carry out cooperation for win-win results, oppose any words or deeds that may intensify tension and jointly create a peaceful and beautiful future for East Asia.
The world is not tranquil, nor is East Asia. The religious community in China wishes to join those who love and are willing to defend peace, and contribute to a more peaceful and beautiful future of East Asia. I believe, if the religious believers of East Asia can share religious wisdom, the notion of peace will surely take root in people’s heart and contribute to peace and security in the East Asia. I hope all of you will become messengers of peace and sow the seed of peace!
Thank you.
