Principles retain their relevance today

At a time of grave and complex global challenges, the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence provides the world with a good opportunity to reflect on that shared aspiration and explore ways to better put these principles into practice.

It is no coincidence that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were born in Asia, because they embody the Asian tradition of cherishing peace and harmonious relations.

Seven decades ago, then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai put forward these principles in full for the first time — mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual nonaggression, noninterference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.