Interview: The West needs to learn from China's win-win approach: former UN official

by Xinhua writer Yin Xiaosheng

SARAJEVO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- "The West has a lot to learn from the Chinese win-win approach to global cooperation," said Erik Solheim, former under-secretary-general of the United Nations.

Commending China's role in promoting peace and development in the world, Solheim said, "Countries from the Global South can take the lead as peacemakers as China did between Iran and Saudi Arabia."

"The idea that Western security demands involvement in any conflict everywhere on the globe is a last breath of colonial thinking," he said. Western countries should learn from China to focus on its real security issues as China does not seek any military security interests in faraway regions.

Describing the Gaza crisis as "a lose-lose war," which is bringing destruction to both peoples, Solheim said that the Western position of defending the sovereignty of Ukraine while disregarding 57 years of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories does not stand up to moral scrutiny and is thus despised in the Global South.

"Condemning Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians while providing the weapons for Israeli killings of Arab civilians is also an unsustainable policy," he added.

Solheim, also former executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, highly appreciated the accomplishments of China in advancing climate security.

"The world faces the dual challenge of bringing down emissions and adapting to climate change. China has risen to the occasion and is now the world's undisputed climate leader," he said, referring to China's representation of 60 percent or more of all green technologies, including solar, wind, hydropower, batteries, and electric vehicles.

Developed nations have the main responsibility since their emissions have caused the problem, said the environment expert.

"U.S. emissions per capita up to today are about 8 times the Chinese, 25 times the Indian and the gap is even much bigger if you compare to the least developed nations or small island development states," he said.

"It's not realistic that we will all adopt the same governing systems, but we can still respect each other and find common ground," said Solheim. The 200 years of unprecedented Western dominance has come to an end as the world is becoming multipolar.

The former senior UN official viewed "respect and dialogue" as two keywords for a new world order in a multipolar world. "To find win-win solutions we need to intensify dialogue on all major issues."