China: Serious Threat to Civilization

China Daily (government-owned), Beijing, Sept. 13, 2001.

China, like other peace-loving countries, has always made clear its strong opposition to and condemnation of all forms of terrorism. The heads of state of China, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan signed, at a mid-June summit in Shanghai, an agreement on combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism, vowing to cooperate closely for regional and world peace and stability.

It has been China’s consistent stance that peace and development should be recognized as the main themes of the world today and that differences and disputes should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation rather than by resorting to force or terrorist actions.

Regrettably, such perceptions have not been fully understood by all. The world is still afflicted by man-made scourges such as hegemony, power politics, racism, border conflicts, and regional wars. This year has seen an increasing number of terrorist incidents, especially in the form of hostage-taking. Widening income disparities, social injustice, turmoil, and ethnic and religious conflicts have proved fertile ground for terrorists.

The world will never enjoy real and enduring peace unless these problems are properly addressed. When human civilization is progressing, it is a tragedy that what took place in the United States happened at all. This makes it more urgent that the international community move to wage an all-out war on terrorism by, in the final analysis, establishing a new world order that can ensure lasting peace and prosperity for all.