DUSHANBE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Against the backdrop of changing security challenges in the world, countries in Asia need to pull together to bring their vision of a security governance model with Asian features into reality.
The 5th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) opens on Friday in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, bringing together leaders of member countries to find effective mechanisms to tackle security and other challenges facing Asia as a whole.
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It harbors 48 countries and comprises 30 percent of the world's land area with 60 percent of the world's population. The task of maintaining security in this part of the world is therefore immensely difficult.
Today, some parts of the continent are still plagued by turbulence and conflict caused by traditional and non-traditional security threats.
At the same time, the reemergence of the Cold-War mentality and hegemonic bullyism are posing serious threats to the stability and security of the world, including Asia.
It is imperative to invent and implement a security system that can safeguard the vital interests of all Asians.
On the one hand, Asian countries all value mutual respect, consensus-building and accommodation of each other's comfort levels, which means it is feasible to explore a new approach to regional security cooperation, one that reflects Asian needs, suits Asia and serves the common interests of all.
Asia is home to diverse ethic groups, religions and cultures, and varying social systems, development paths and levels of economic development. CICA members should build consensus in the region in order to develop a new type of partnership featuring deepened security cooperation and confidence-building. Ultimately the hope is to build a community with a shared future in Asia.
Meanwhile, mutual understanding, mutual accommodation and peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and consultation are practical approaches toward such goals.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his signed article published on Wednesday ahead of his state visit to Tajikistan, hailed CICA as "an important regional platform," saying that the organization in its 27-year history "has responded to the call of the times and sought to enhance trust and collaboration among countries and uphold regional security and stability, making positive contributions to peace and development in Asia."
Since the 2014 CICA summit held in Shanghai, CICA members have not only broadened their cooperation, but also stepped up CICA's interactions with such multilateral institutions as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Building on their past achievements and facing new situations, Asian countries and their partners worldwide need to jointly preserve multilateralism and the global free trade system, oppose unilateralism and bullying, and commit themselves to improving and updating the global governance system.
When speaking to the CICA foreign ministers in Beijing in 2016, Xi said: "A stable and developing Asia is a blessing, while a turbulent and declining Asia would bring nothing but trouble to the world."
And it is a shared responsibility for all Asian countries to ensure that their continent is a blessing for the world.