Global Times: Wisdom of Sun Tzu's Art of War 'offers solutions for modern global challenges'

BEIJING, Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 10th International Symposium on Sun Tzu's Art of War kicked off in Beijing on Thursday, under the theme of "Sun Tzu's Art of War and Mutual Learning among Civilizations," during which Chinese and international attendees exchanged their views on the classic Chinese treatise on military strategy and the significance of Sun Tzu's military philosophy for the modern world. Attendees said the wisdom of Sun Tzu's military philosophy of conflict prevention over warfare is still needed and relevant today, and it also carries China's principles for handling frictions in the region.

The event, organized by the China Research Society of Sun Tzu's Art of War, was attended by over 350 representatives from around 30 countries and regions, including senior military officers, former governmental officials, as well as scholars.

At the opening ceremony, General Yang Xuejun, head of the PLA's Academy of Military Sciences said in a keynote speech on Thursday that this year's symposium focuses on inheriting the vein of the millennium-old culture, studying the principles of the wisdom of military science, grasping the trend of global development, and jointly building the foundation for peace and stability. He added that it closely centers around the theme of "The Art of War and Mutual Learning among Civilizations", practices President Xi Jinping's concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, implements the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and deeply explores ways to promote mutual learning among civilizations and peaceful coexistence with the wisdom of Sun Tzu, jointly uncovering the contemporary value of China's traditional military culture.

General Ling Huanxin, political commissar of the Academy of Military Sciences, said at the opening ceremony that research into traditional culture is not about seeking an ancient time that has long gone, but carrying the past into the modern era, and Sun Tzu's Art of War contains the spiritual cores of innovation, surpassing, inclusiveness, science and humanism, and is of significant value to the times.   

The symposium comprises keynote speeches, plenary sessions and special sessions. The six special sessions focus on such including "Exploring Ways of Civilization Coexistence by Applying the Wisdom of Sun Tzu", "Contemporary Cultural Value of Sun Tzu's Art of War", according to the organizer.

The world today is evolving into an increasingly complex web of interdependence, cooperation, and competition, with pressure mounting on states to effectively employ the tools of statecraft to attain their political objectives, said Harold Raugh, vice president of the International Commission of Military History, in his speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the symposium.

This is an era in which Sun Tzu's timeless and wise precepts of "Cautious War" and "Defeating the enemy without fighting," emphasizing conflict prevention over warfare, are particularly needed and relevant.

Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Thursday on the sideline of the symposium that the philosophy of "Cautious War" or "Shen Zhan" in Chinese can be found in China's strategy for handling complex and sensitive geopolitical issues. For instance, a few countries in the region are having maritime disputes with China, which has always insisted on solving the problems via negotiations and being extremely restrained and professional in using force.

"Although some frictions exist, there is no military conflict that brings chaos and disaster to the region surrounding China. And the Art of War doesn't just focus on 'power' but also stresses the importance of 'trend.' Therefore, we see that China has successfully solved or eased tensions with its neighbors peacefully based on not only military strength but also diplomatic wisdom," Yang noted.

China can even realize cooperation and joint development with the vast majority of regional countries, because we know that peace and development are the common desire of the people of different countries, which is the 'trend', Yang said. 

Spyros Katsoulas, assistant professor of International and European Affairs at the American College of Greece, also an attendee of the event, told the Global Times that the Art of War could also be titled "the Art of Avoiding War," adding that he finds that the Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed by the Chinese president is also connected to the notion of "Cautious War" in the Sun Tzu's work, as the GSI is an initiative of peace and really welcomed worldwide.

Katsoulas said he was impressed by the GSI, as it calls all countries to stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation. War and sanctions are not fundamental solutions to disputes; only dialogue and consultation are effective in resolving differences "I hope all states of the world can share the same prudence and we can maintain and preserve peace as long as we can."

SOURCE Global Times