China Praises Speech from Indonesia's Defense Minister in Singapore

TheIndonesia.co - China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has praised a recent speech delivered by Indonesia’s Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto during an international security forum in Singapore.

Spokesperson for Chinese MFA Wang Wenbin said the speech during the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue last week emphasized the importance of peace and reminded him of the Asian-African Conference that was held in Bandung, West Java.

“Mr. Prabowo’s remarks reminded me of the famous Bandung Conference held 67 years ago in Indonesia,” Wenbin said in a statement on Monday, June 13.

In the 1955 conference attended by representatives from Asian, African, and Latin American countries, participating states agreed on five principles of peaceful coexistence.

“They also established the Bandung spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation. All of this is still of great relevance to the handling of international relations today,” Wang continued.

“Having experienced hot wars and cold wars, people in Asia know better than anyone that peace is precious and the future of all countries is closely linked.”

In this regards, the Chinese officials also called for countries to unite and work together to build solidarity and avoid inciting confrontation.

According to him, Asian countries in particular need to accommodate each other’s major concerns, respect each other’s development paths, and continue to promote sound development in Asia.

“As a responsible major country, China will unswervingly stick to the path of peaceful development. China has always been committed to working with other Asian countries to adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung spirit, carry forward the Asian values of solidarity, coordination, harmony, and inclusiveness,” Wang said.

In his speech in Singapore, Minister Subianto talked about Asian countries’ experience under colonialism and mentioned China as a good friend of Indonesia and is at the forefront of anti-imperialist movement.