China's positive global role underscored

China has played a positive role in avoiding deepening global polarization and a new Cold War against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the "Indo-Pacific" strategy proposed by the United States, experts said on Tuesday.

They made the remarks during the International Conference on Trends in the International Landscape and China's Role After Russia-Ukraine Conflict. The meeting was held by the National Top Think Tank of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, cautioned that the Russia-Ukraine crisis would deepen global confrontation and polarization for a long time as there is no sign of an end to the conflict.

The conflict, which has passed its fifth month, has triggered turmoil in the financial markets, and drastically increased uncertainty about global economic recovery.

In addition to the conflict, the U.S. "Indo-Pacific" strategy and NATO's eastward expansion are also making the world more unstable, as these could bring not only just military conflicts in a specific region, but also stretch into the economic and security realms, said Li Xiangyang, dean of the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Instead, China has adopted a principle of peaceful development and played an important role in promoting economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

"China does not want to replace any other country," said Li, adding that China stands out by relying on the innovation of its development model and governance system.

Veronika Saraswati, senior researcher of the China Studies Research Unit at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Indonesia, praised China's consistent foreign policy highlighting peace and development.

China's contributions express a desire to solve the crisis of the world and are based on the concept that the world has a shared future, said Saraswati, adding that "China encourages win-win cooperation and solidarity rather than domination" against the backdrop of the pandemic and the conflict.

On countering the gloomy situation of the global economy, Kikuchi Yona, chief researcher of the Japan Forum on International Relations, called for more cooperation between Japan and China.

"I believe that Japan and China should take this opportunity to improve the relationship," he said. "The two neighbors will need to make effort to avoid mutual distrust, while strengthening the framework for bilateral and multilateral dialogues."