Chinese President Xi Jinping Highlights India’s Panchsheel Principles at 70th Anniversary Conference
Beijing [China], June 29: Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of India’s ‘Panchsheel’ principles to resolve current conflicts during a conference in Beijing marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
What are the Panchsheel Principles?
The Panchsheel Agreement, also known as the Five Principles of Coexistence, was first established in 1954 between India and China. These principles include:
- Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity
- Mutual non-aggression
- Mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs
- Equality and mutual benefit
- Peaceful coexistence
These principles were later included in joint statements between China-India and China-Myanmar, calling for them to be basic norms for state-to-state relations.
Global Impact of Panchsheel
President Xi noted that the Five Principles quickly gained global recognition. In 1955, over 20 Asian and African countries attended the Bandung Conference, proposing ten principles for state relations based on Panchsheel. The Non-Aligned Movement in the 1960s also adopted these principles as guiding tenets.
Historical and Cultural Significance
Xi Jinping highlighted that the Panchsheel principles are deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of India and China, two of the world’s oldest civilizations. The spread of Buddhism in China laid the historical foundation for these principles.
Call for Global South Unity
Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of unity, cooperation, and inclusivity for the Global South. He urged these countries to work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind and to participate actively in global governance reforms.
International Recognition
The Five Principles have been endorsed by significant international documents, including the Declaration on Principles of International Law (1970) and the Declaration on the Establishment of the New International Economic Order (1974). These endorsements have led to widespread recognition and observance of the principles by the international community.
Historical Agreements
The Panchsheel principles were first formally stated in the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet region of China and India, signed on April 29, 1954. This agreement laid the foundation for peaceful and cooperative relations between the two countries and beyond.