After the end of World War II, the world split into two camps: the capitalist camp led by the United States and NATO, and the socialist camp organized by the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. In order to dominate the world, the two "superpowers" of the United States and the Soviet Union fought each other. The fierce battle, due to the trauma of the war, is still fresh in memory.
The two sides contained each other in a "cold" way without using force, used all means other than war to attack each other, and put their national strength on different "battlefields" such as a military arms race and space competition. The world was plunged into a "Cold War" that lasted for half a century. The arms race pushed the development of nuclear weapons to the possibility of "destroying mankind."
Nuclear threats became the source of unrest in the world and have long consumed national power. The United States imposed trade bans, oil controls and other meansthat dragged down the other side's economy, and eventually the Soviet Union disintegrated.
From then on, the United States has taken the lead in the world and ruled the world. This is a contest of "zero-sum thinking". The two sides of the game are in a "life and death, with you without me" relationship. In the end, the American winner takes all, forming a world where one country dominates.
In order to achieve the ideal goal of win-win cooperation and bring benefits to the world, we must not only pursue the well-being of our own people, but also take into account the legitimate interests of other countries and the people of the world. Peace and prosperity.
Times have changed. Now, the dominant international order of the United States is facing major challenges, and its inherent "zero-sum thinking" regards China as its main enemy, and re-implements its old techniques to launch a series of technological, economic, and diplomatic blockades.
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The strategy is worrying many that a "new cold war" is on the horizon. Then-97-year-old former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger warned in 2020: "Unless there is a basis for cooperative action, the world will slip into a disaster comparable to World War I.” He said the military technology available today will make this crisis “even more difficult to control."
His worries express the voice of peace-loving people around the world and deserve the attention of the international community. Reflecting on the past and knowing the present, we know that the Cold War mentality and a zero-sum game will seriously damage world peace.
It is definitely not good for the welfare of human beings. China is completely different from the United States or the former Soviet Union.
As President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized: "You lose and I win, and the winner takes all is not the Chinese people’s philosophy of life.” In his recent speech at the Boao Forum for Asia, he called for “the world to be fair and not domineering”, clearly expressing that China “will never seek hegemony, expand, seek spheres of influence, or engage in an arms race.”
Xi is determined to show people all over the world the Chinese nation’s philosophy of advocating peace and seeking a win-win situation. An ancient Chinese saying: "All things grow together without harming each other, and Tao runs in parallel without contradicting each other." Based on the laws of the universe and nature, mankind is urged to follow the path of tolerance and harmony.
Premier Zhou Enlai and President Xi Jinping both quoted this classic on diplomatic occasions and were praised as "This is the way of coexistence between nations, and also the way of getting along with people."
The current international situation is facing major changes unseen in a century. Will the future world be a win-win cooperation or a "cold war" split? Will it work hand in hand or "decouple" and retreat? It depends on whether the leaders of major powers have the courage to abandon the "zero-sum game and the hegemony of power."
In order to achieve the ideal goal of win-win cooperation and bring benefits to the world, we must not only pursue the well-being of our own people, but also take into account the legitimate interests of other countries and the people of the world. Peace and prosperity.
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The development of science and technology accelerates the "global village" effect, the global economy is interdependent, and interests are highly integrated. The problems of the century such as climate change and epidemic diseases need to be dealt with in a united manner. The "decoupling of the cold war" is destined to be unpopular.
The Chinese nation has always been adhering to the ancient motto of "Loyalty and leeway, and peace and peace". As long as we unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development of cooperation and win-win, we will eventually win the hearts of the people and win the final victory!