CHINESE Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan Friday put forth a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation, saying that military means alone has proved inadequate in meeting massive and complicated security challenges.

　　In a speech to the general debate of the 57th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tang said that "security is no longer a zero-sum game" and that "its mutuality is obviously on the increase as countries have come to share more in their security interests and feel a greater sense of interdependence."

　　Explaining the new security concept, Tang said, "by mutual trust, we mean that countries should rise above their differing ideologies and social systems, abandon the cold war mentality and power politics mindset, and refrain from misgivings and hostility against each other." Instead, they should go in for frequent dialogues and briefings on their security and defense policies or the major actions they are about to take, Tang said.

　　By mutual benefit, Tang said, it means a country should respect the security interests of others while pursuing the interests of its own, help create conditions for the better security of others while making itself more secure, thus achieving universal security.

　　Equality, he said, means that every country, big or small, strong or weak, is a member of the international community and that all countries should respect each other, treat each other as equals and refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs, so that international relations will become more democratic.

　　"By cooperation, we mean that countries should resolve their disputes through peaceful negotiations, carry out extensive and deep-going cooperation on their shared security concerns and help eliminate hidden dangers and prevent wars and conflicts from happening," said the Chinese minister.

　　He said that "our new security concept is both workable and effective," urging the international community to reach broad consensus thereon and jointly tackle the major security concerns of the day through vigorous dialogue and cooperation.

　　The Chinese minister also said that "counter-terrorism should be pursued on the basis of international law and norms governing international relations, allowing the United Nations and its Security Council to play a leading rule."

　　"Efforts should be made to prevent the arbitrary enlargement of the scope of counter-terrorism campaign, but proven terrorist forces, including the East Turkistan terrorist forces, which have been trained, armed and bankrolled by the Taliban and al-Qaeda, must be resolutely stamped out," he said.

　　(Xinhua)