'Cold war thinking' has no place in Asia

Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin on Sunday urged Asian countries to discard their "cold war mentality" when handling sensitive regional issues, saying that "exclusive security partnerships" fall short in terms of coping with the current complex regional situation.

His words came in the wake of China's tense relations with its neighbors in Asia last year, which were further complicated by Washington's strategic shift in the Asia-Pacific region.

Asia is generally stable and peaceful, yet thorny issues such as maritime and energy security still remain.

After many years of efforts, a complex, multi-level security structure has been established and plays a constructive role in the Asia-Pacific region.

Liu said that regional security mechanisms should be based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination

Although China has enhanced mutual trust with its neighbors and put forward constructive suggestions for pragmatic cooperation, its relations with its Asian nations were tested by some long-standing issues last year.

In 2011, China experienced increased pressure regarding the South China Sea, where Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam hold competing claims.

China has been active in resolving regional issues and endeavored to cooperate with other Asian countries to create a regional environment featuring peace, stability, equality, mutual trust and cooperation, Liu said.

Relevant countries should put aside disputes and pursue common development before the disputes are resolved. Forces outside the region should not intervene in South China Sea disputes, he said.

Zhang Tuosheng, a researcher at the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies, explained that the uneven situation in the Asia-Pacific region made it difficult to establish a pan-Asia-Pacific region security mechanism, but members of different mechanisms often cooperated to address issues.

In July 2011, China and ASEAN adopted an agreement on the guidelines of implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), starting substantial cooperation under the DOC framework.

China also signed an agreement with Vietnam on the basic principles guiding the settlement of existing maritime issues between the two countries.