Chinese VP calls for security cooperation

BEIJING - Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao on Thursday addressed the World Peace Forum 2013 in Beijing with a call for all nations to strengthen cooperation on security challenges and achieve the long-lasting peace and common prosperity of the world.

The forum is the first high-level non-governmental seminar focusing on security topics that China has hosted. This year's theme is "International Security in a Changing World: Peace, Development, Innovation." Nearly 500 experts and scholars from over 80 countries and foreign diplomats in China attended the opening ceremony.

"Peace is the primary need of people all over the world, including Chinese people," Li said at the forum's opening ceremony.

He pointed that development can not be achieved without a peaceful environment, and therefore, all countries in the world should live in peace, resolve disputes and conflicts through peaceful means and make concerted efforts to safeguard regional and world peace.

He voiced the hope that all countries will pursue the path of peaceful development and make joint efforts to create a bright future for the peaceful development of all peoples.

Noting that security problems are a major challenge standing in the way of world peace, he said that all countries should set up the new security concept of increasing security through development and mutually beneficial cooperation and resolve differences through peaceful dialogues.

Prior to the forum's opening ceremony, Li met with Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, Surinamese President Desi Bouterse and the former high-ranking officials of several other countries.