Sustainable Security Concept and Global Security Governance

By Liu Jiangyong

CPAPD Executive Council Member, and Professor with Institute of International Relations,Tsinghua University

The year 2019 is the 70th anniversary of the founding of new China, and is also 5th anniversary of the concept of common,comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.Today, it is of great significance to discuss the concept of sustainable security and global security governance.

I.Achievements in the past five years since China-proposed concept of sustainable security

On May 21, 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping first put forth at the 4thSummit of the Asian Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia(CICA)held in Shanghai, "We should actively advocate an Asian concept of common,comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, innovate the concept of security, build a new framework for regional security cooperation, and work hard to pioneer a path of Asian security with joint contribution, shared benefits and win-win results." This new security concept was written into the Shanghai Declaration issued by the CICA Conference and became an important consensus of the participating countries.

In September 2015, President Xi Jinping reiterates in his speech at the UN General Assembly that the new concept of common,comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security should be established.Since then,China's concept of sustainable security is not only limited to Asia, but has global significance.More and more countries are beginning to realize that the pursuit of sustainable security is to achieve the sustainability of higher quality security with lower cost of security through common security, cooperative security and comprehensive security.This is a scientific security concept leading global security governance.

In the past five years, the development and changes of the global, regional and national security situations have further proved that the concept of sustainable security is a beacon light guiding global security governance in today's era.This new security concept conforms to the basic laws of contemporary national security and international security, is consistent with the security interests of the peoples of various countries in the world and has important reference value for the correct security decision-making by various countries in the world.

In the past five years, the concept of sustainable security has been actively interacted by the countries around China, and is becoming the guiding ideology of security decision-making of various countries, is gradually implemented in the security policies-making and the security cooperation,which has rapidly and effectively changed the international security environment around China.From Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia,South Asia to Central Asia, China has reached consensus on sustainable security with almost all neighboring countries, and has initially been benefited by common security.

For the past five years, China has been an advocate and practitioner of the concept of sustainable security.The concept of sustainable security has become an important part of China's governing strategy.The report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017 points out, to promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, we must keep in mind both our internal and international imperatives,unswervingly stay on the path of peaceful development, continue to pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up.We will uphold justice while pursuing shared interests,and will foster new thinking on common,comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.We will pursue open, innovative,inclusive development that benefits every one;boost cross-cultural exchanges characterized by harmony within diversity and inclusiveness,mutual learning and cultivate ecosystems based on respect for nature and green development.China will continue its efforts to safeguard world peace, contribute to global development and uphold international order.

Over the past five years, based on the concept of sustainable security, China has played an important role in changing the situation on the Korean Peninsula, which is in a state of long-term danger and tension, and achieved remarkable results.In 2017, when the Korean Peninsula was in a tense situation,China stressed that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue should take into account the security concerns of all parties concerned, i.e., common security; while adhering to the general direction of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,China supported the DPRK's development of economy and improvement of people's livelihood, i.e., comprehensive security; China advocated peaceful multilateralism, and encouraged the "dual track" of establishment of a peace mechanism and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, i.e., cooperative security;China held that the two sides on the Korean Peninsula should achieve national reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, and oppose the use of force or the threat of force, i.e., focusing on sustainable security.As a result, with the joint efforts of all parties concerned, especially between the two sides on the Peninsula, since 2018, the situation on the Korean Peninsula has undergone unprecedented and gratifying changes in more than 70 years.

Over the past five years, following the concept of sustainable security, China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is significantly strengthened, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has played an increasingly important role, and the CICA summit has brought together more synergy for sustainable security.In July 2017, China and Russia announced in a joint statement that the two sides will continue to cooperate in CICA,East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum,ASEAN defense ministers' meeting, ASEM and other regional organizations, so as to promote the building of an open, comprehensive and transparent security architecture in the Asia Pacific region, adhering to international law,common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, and equality based on cooperation, with peaceful settlement of disputes, non-use of force or threat of force as the principles.As an important legal measure for sustainable security, the leaders of the six countries concerned signed the SCO Convention Against Extremism on June 9, 2017.At the 5th CICA summit held in Dushanbe,Tajikistan, on June 15, 2019, leaders of the participating countries expressed that they would continue to practice the concept of sustainable security.The declaration of the 5th CICA summit reaffirmed: to seek common,comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and promote development and progress.It has been proved in practice wherever the sustainable security concept is recognized and practiced, wherever the bond between security cooperation and mutual trust between countries is stronger.

In the past five years, the concept of sustainable security has become an important concept of ASEAN countries' security cooperation.The theme of the 13th ASEAN defense ministers' meeting held in Bangkok on July 10, 2019 is "sustainable security".This meeting is of special significance for the international community to further popularize the concept of sustainable security and promote the practice of international cooperation on sustainable security.Because this is the first time for the international multilateral security cooperation conference to use the keyword of"sustainable security" as the theme of the conference; the ASEAN 10 defense ministers who participated in the conference signed the"ASEAN defense ministers' Joint Declaration on Sustainable Security" on October 11, which is also the first multilateral international joint declaration on sustainable security.The Joint Declaration on sustainable security emphasizes that in order to achieve the sustainable security of ASEAN countries, it is necessary to further strengthen cooperation within ASEAN,between ASEAN and dialogue partners, and jointly respond to non-traditional and cross-border security threats.ASEAN countries are aware that with the rapid change of regional security environment, the continuous enhancement of regional integration,connectivity and technological progress, the region is facing complex and changeable non-traditional security threats and cross-border security threats, and the frequency and severity are increasing.Countries need to strengthen cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN and its dialogue partners.ASEAN countries should strengthen cooperation in border management, military medical exchanges, maritime risk prevention,counter-terrorism information exchange and other fields.The meeting proved that the new concept of common, comprehensive,cooperative and sustainable security has become an important security theory for ASEAN countries to guide the practice of security cooperation.In the future, the implementation of ASEAN countries'sustainable security strategy will not only benefit the security governance of ASEAN region, but also radiate the sustainable security effect of ASEAN to a broader scope through cooperation with ASEAN dialogue partners,providing a new example, new experience and new path for global security governance.

II.Challenges faced by global security governance

(1)Threats to global security are increasingly diversified and specialized

Lasting peace is the common ideal of mankind.For most countries in the world, since the 21st century, the security issue in a state of peace has become more prominent.On this point, the Copenhagen School of Thought in Europe has a relatively early awareness.Unfortunately, after the Cold War, NATO members have launched many regional wars or military strikes in the Middle East in the form of violent multilateralism.As a result, Europe has been plagued in recent years by the refugee tides, terrorist attacks, populism and rising centrifugal tendencies.The European integration process, the European multilateral security mechanism and the status of the euro have all been weakened.

Compared with the issue of peace, the security issue has greater coverage, universality,diversity and professionalism.There are not only hot and sensitive issues, but also challenges brought by ethnic and religious conflicts, terrorism, transnational crimes,environmental security, cyber security, energy and resource security, major natural disasters,etc.Traditional security threats and non-traditional security threats are intertwined,and the connotation and extension of security issues are further expanded.Space security,Ocean Security and polar security are major issues of global security governance.For the Pacific island countries, climate change directly threatens their living space, and the carbon emissions and vegetation reduction caused by the war may actually far exceed the industrial carbon emissions.

Because of this, President Xi Jinping,having put forth the concept of sustainable security, proposes for the first time on April 15,2014 the adherence to the overall national security concept, related to many fields such as politics, military affairs, home land, economy,finance, society, culture, science and technology, cyber network, ecology, resources,nuclear energy safety and so on.The comprehensive security in the overall national security concept and the sustainable security concept is overlapping.The overall national security concept is mainly referred to China's domestic national security strategy, while the sustainable security concept involves more issues in the areas of international security and global security governance, which are supportive of each other.

(2)Trade protectionism poses a threat to the external environment for the development of various countries in the world

There is nothing wrong with President Trump’s want to make the United States "great again", but it will be widely questioned if it is achieved increasingly at the expense of the security and development interests of other countries.

The security strategic thinking of American policy makers is still basically the belief of realism of traditional power politics,with little understanding that human society in the 21st century, including the United States,needs common security, comprehensive security, cooperative security and sustainable security.In order to ensure the power of controlling other countries, the United States often does everything.As a result, it is difficult for the United States to become a contributor to global security governance, but often becomes a "troublemaker", which will eventually harm the American people and the U.S.security interests.Since the end of the Second World War, there are many such examples, which become more and more since the end of the Cold War.

Since the year 2018, the United States has brought the thinking logic of power politics from the military and diplomatic fields to the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, and people to people and cultural exchanges, which has directly impacted the Sino-U.S.relations.In the field of economy and trade, unilateralism is carried out, and trade war is launched by levying heavy tariffs;national forces are mobilized to suppress and block China's Huawei’s 5g system on the basis of the so-called security risks.These practices have seriously endangered the free trade system and market rules.In this regard, most members of the 2019 Osaka G20 Summit expressed their worries and voiced to safeguard multilateralism and free trade.

(3)Geostrategic game-play and the rising military security risks

This is mainly reflected in three parts:firstly, the deepening of geopolitical strategic contradictions between NATO's eastward expansion and Russia, especially the possible intensification of arms race and security confrontation in Europe after the withdrawal of the United States and Russia from the INF treaty.Secondly, in the Middle East, after the U.S.withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the warring situation in Syria and Yemen continues,and the confrontation between the United States and Israel with Iran is at the daggers drawn.Thirdly, the United States pursues the"Indo-Pacific strategy", regards China as its main strategic competitor, brings multinational naval forces into the South China Sea, and attempts to establish the maritime hegemony led by the United States.

The core goal of the U.S.geopolitical strategy in the Middle East is to take over Iran,control the Persian Gulf, and then control the maritime oil channels for China, Japan and Europe, and further control the energy hinterland of the former Soviet Union such as the Caspian Sea area in the north.These will inevitably bring some uncertainty and potential risks to China's cooperation with the countries along the Belt and Road, and meantime, will lead to the rising cost of security for the United States, and will decline quality of security and is destructive.On the contrary, China's new security concept and the Belt and Road Initiative are constructive.The geopolitical and geo-economic theory of sustainable security pursues the theory of land and sea integration of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits", rather than the theory of land and sea hegemony.

III.The way out for global security governance in the 21st century

The concept of sustainable security is as important as the concept of sustainable development, which can be termed a scientific security concept with universal value.In the past five years, the concept of sustainable security has been recognized by more and more countries and has strong vitality.In December 1953, Zhou Enlai first proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence when he met with the Indian delegation, which was approved by India, Myanmar and other countries, and later became the basic principles of China's diplomacy and handling relations between various countries.The new security concept of common, comprehensive,cooperative and sustainable security confirmed by the CICA Summit is of equal importance.After test in practice, the four-pointsustainable security concept can also be the guidelines for global security governance.

First, adhering to the four-principled sustainable security, including China and the United States, establishing a common understanding of common, comprehensive,cooperative and sustainable security among various countries; forming a common document of sustainable security in the process of bilateral security dialogue; reducing the zero-sum game and confrontation brought by the old thinking of traditional power politics and geo-strategy; enhancing the awareness of common security, improving the comprehensive security capacity, and broadening security cooperation areas, reducing the cost of sustainable security, and building a community of shared future for international security.

Second, adhering to the four-principled sustainable security, concerning global hot and difficult security issues or the security field,integrating theory with practice, accumulating successful cases and striving to transform the concept of sustainable security into national sustainable security strategies, policies and specific measures to effectively solve practical security problems.

Third, adhering to the four-principled sustainable security, including sustainable security agendas in multilateral international security organizations, mechanisms and forums headed by the United Nations.It is necessary to introduce the concept of sustainable security into UN peacekeeping operations and disarmament cooperation.The UN Security Council may consider setting up a sustainable security committee to play a role similar to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development,which carry out systematic study and make proposals for effective governance programs for global sustainable security.It is proposed that 0.1% or even 0.01% of the national defense expenses of the UN member states be donated to the United Nations for the establishment of the UN Special Fund for sustainable security.