June 28 marks the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Three of the original signatories, including China, Myanmar and India, observed the day in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the ceremony and said China will never seek hegemony no matter how strong it becomes.

The early supporters of the Five Principles were basically Asian and African nations, which are still eager to carry forward this notion. Some Westerners consider these principles as the shelter of poor and weak nations, because powerful nations usually give them the cold shoulder.

China's national strength has grown profoundly in the last 60 years. China's high-profile advocacy of the Five Principles will largely boost the effect of this notion, which can better serve undertakings such as international justice and equality.

China has also expressed its attitude toward the growing conflicts with other countries.

China, though gaining more competitive advantages in the international community, has shown firm support to regional and international stability by promising to insist on a mild foreign policy. China is probably the first among all rising powers to highlight peaceful coexistence and non-interference in international affairs.

China cannot avoid conflicts of interest with other countries when developing relations with them. But China is eager to address these conflicts through peaceful ways and achieve a win-win outcome. China's expectations need to be responded to in a friendly way by other countries. They should respect China's strategic space and interest pattern, or confrontations will sour their relations.

China is now bogged down in maritime disputes with several neighboring countries, but it is not playing a role as a hegemon when dealing with these conflicts. On the contrary, China is defending its legitimate interests and is unwillingly engaged in these confrontations. China has no plan to initiate a globally aggressive policy.

Mutual trust is difficult to establish among conflicting countries, and distrust, once it emerges, will likely be aggravated. Although some neighboring countries often feel a lack of security because of China, they should know that China also feels the same way because of them.

China and other neighboring stakeholders must reach a consensus to try their best to explore effective approaches to address unnecessary conflicts.

Sixty years have passed since the Five Principles were issued, and it is high time that we all should think out of the box and figure out other ways to resolve these thorny problems. They are not the sole responsibility of China alone.