Regional nations must change twisted mindset

Countries in East Asia should seek win-win cooperation in the spirit of peace and tolerance. This was the message from Liu Zhenmin, permanent representative of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland.

Delivering a speech on East Asia cooperation in Geneva on Wednesday, Liu urged East Asian nations to continue their traditional fruitful interaction, discard the Cold War mentality and work together to shape a common concept of regional security and development. At a time when the Diaoyu Islands dispute has strained ties between China and Japan, and countries like the Philippines and Vietnam continue, covertly or overtly, to escalate tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Liu's advice is relevant and constructive.

Growing disputes between East Asian and Southeast Asian countries over territorial waters in the East China Sea and the South China Sea have eroded the mutual political trust between China and some neighboring countries and are threatening to thwart their efforts to deepen regional cooperation.