*Mountingglobalsecuritychallengesnowstandasaconstantreminderthattheworldcommunityfacesamomentousandurgentchoicebetweenavisionofcommon,comprehensive,cooperativeandsustainablesecurityortheCold-Warstyleparadigmthatmerelycaterstothehegemonyofoneandabsolutesecurityofafew.

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*Advocatinganewpathtosecurityfeaturingdialogueoverconfrontation,partnershipoveralliance,andwin-winoverzero-sum,theGlobalSecurityInitiativehassofarelicitedapositivetractionfrommorethan80countriesandregionalorganizations.

*Securityisapreconditionfordevelopment,whiledevelopmentisamasterkeytoaddressingmajorproblems.

BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Earlier this month, the foreign ministers of China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran shook hands in Beijing, marking a historic moment in Riyadh-Tehran relations. The two countries" resumption of diplomatic ties under China"s mediation signals the possibility that humanity can rise above conflict and achieve reconciliation for common good.

The historic thaw came almost a year after Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which aims to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts, improve global security governance, encourage joint international efforts to bring more stability and certainty to a volatile and changing era, and promote durable peace and development in the world.

DIALOGUE MATTERS, AND IT WORKS

In the wake of the Riyadh-Tehran rapprochement, reconciliatory steps have taken place successively to break diplomatic impasses and end the long-running feud over several hotspots in the Middle East.

For example, Saudi Arabia is planning to invite Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to the Arab League Summit which will be hosted by Riyadh in May. Such a move would formally end Syria"s isolation in the region. In addition, Qatar and Bahrain recently announced the resumption of formal diplomatic ties. Türkiye and Egypt also pledged to raise their relations to the ambassadorial level.

Chinese peacekeepers march at a medal parade ceremony in Hanniyah village, southern Lebanon, July 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Zongya)

This "wave of reconciliation" as described by many media and experts can testify to the irreplaceable role of dialogues and consultations in promoting peace and stability.

"War and sanctions are no fundamental solution to disputes; only dialogue and consultation are effective in resolving differences," according to a GSI concept paper released in February.

In fact, consensus worldwide on solving the protracted Ukraine crisis via talks and other peaceful means are gradually building up.

While visiting China earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron told Xi in their talks that France calls for the resumption of political negotiations and a settlement of the crisis through diplomatic means to achieve lasting peace in Europe, adding that his country hopes to increase communication and make joint efforts with China toward peace.

Back in March, Xi and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, also stressed in a joint statement that the Ukraine crisis should be solved through dialogues during the Chinese leader"s Russia visit.

While the Western security schemes are largely in favor of resolving disputes through military intervention, China"s approach is pro-peace and pro-global security, said Gibson Nyikadzino, a Zimbabwean international relations analyst.