The Panchsheel agreement was one of the most important relations between India and China to strengthen economic and security cooperation. The underlying assumption of the Five Principles was that, after decolonization, newly independent states would be able to develop a new and more principled approach to international relations. [Citation required] On Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping of Myanmar will welcome Myanmar President Thein Sein and Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence” or Panchsheel. The Five Principles, an important pillar of China`s foreign policy, were originally conceived in 1954 by India`s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and China`s first Prime Minister, Zhou Enlai. The principles became known in 1955 at the Bandung Conference, which prepared the stage for the blockless movement. The Chinese government will hold the event commemorating the 60th anniversary of its valued foreign policy principles in the Great Hall of the People, reports The Hindu. Although the immediate Prime Minister Nehru tried to establish good relations between the two countries through the Panchsheel agreement, he failed and the 1962 war took place between the two countries. In 1979, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then India`s foreign minister and future prime minister, visited China, the word Panchsheel found its way into conversation with the Chinese. [10] On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the treaty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People`s Republic of China said that “a new international order based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence must be built.” [11] In June 2014, India`s Vice President Hamid Ansari was received by China in the Great People`s Hall of Beijing to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Panchsheel Treaty. [12] In 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that “China is ready to cooperate with India to be guided by the five principles of panchshe.” [13] During Zhou En-lai`s visit to India on June 28, 1954, the five principles were confirmed in a joint communiqué by Jawaharial Nehru and Zhou En-lai. Xinhua calls the five principles “principles of peace” in an article announcing the upcoming celebrations this weekend. The Chinese government sees these celebrations as a recognition of China`s positive contributions to international affairs.
“Over the past six decades, the principles have resisted testing, accepted by a growing number of countries, become principles for international relations and have played an important role in maintaining global peace and development,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, stressing that their relevance extended far beyond China`s borders. For Xi Jinping – who seeks the most to help China gain normative weight in international affairs – the Five Principles represent China`s best contribution to heterodox international relations with a unique Asian taste. In particular, if China is to offer a convincing model of regional leadership different from that of the United States in Asia, it can start with these principles. Unfortunately, the five principles fall somewhat short of expectations when it comes to explaining recent Chinese adventurism in the East and South China Seas, where China is involved in disputes with several countries. Even Zhou and Nehru would be aware of the cavity of these principles when their two countries waged war eight years after the bold promise of “peaceful coexistence”. “If these principles were applied not only between different countries, but also in international relations in general, they would provide a solid basis for peace and security, and the fears and fears that exist today would give way to a sense of trust… In summary, pessimists have little sign that the United Nations will accept any reform that might reduce their power within the UN system.
