Nanjing plays a 'key role' in peace

More than 100 scholars and history researchers from China, Japan and South Korea called for peace and mutual understanding in Nanjing, which became China's first International City of Peace on Saturday.

Ye Nanke, head of the Nanjing Academy of Social Sciences, said Nanjing has set up international peace schools, peace communities and peace research institutes to educate the next generation and bring peace to the public.

"Nanjing plays a key role in peace education and international communications because of its history," he said. "In the future, the city will establish more peace museums, squares, hospitals and schools."

Ye made the comments at China's Concept and Practice of the Right to Peace Seminar, which was held in Nanjing on Monday.

Starting on Dec 13, 1937, some 300,000 Chinese people were killed by Japanese troops in a six-week rampage－one of the most brutal massacres in modern history.

International Cities of Peace, a global nonprofit association dedicated to connecting, promoting and encouraging peace worldwide, approved the city's application on Aug 31.

Cui Yuying, vice-minister of the State Council Information Office and deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said at the seminar that China adheres to peaceful development as it tries to promote common development globally.

"China has always been peace-loving, and peace is one of the core values of Chinese civilization," she said. "Over the years, China has made a significant contribution to the maintenance of peace, both for the Chinese people and the peoples of the world."

Chang Jian, deputy director of the Human Rights Research Center at Nankai University in Tianjin, said the right to peace means the right to enjoy a peaceful life.

"To enjoy peaceful lives, people should not be threatened by organized violence. Many methods should be adopted to eliminate violence and its causes," he said.

"Researchers should look at how violent methods used to eliminate violence can be controlled and what alternatives can be used instead," he said.

Chen Xiaolyu, director of the European Union Research Center at Nanjing University, said that long-term peace can only be acquired when the interests of all parties are respected without the influence of military forces.

"China doesn't want to realize its goals by forcing other countries," he said. "We say that China is a peace-loving country, and that is not empty flattery. Plenty of evidence can be provided to prove that.

"China will be an important force in safeguarding world peace. Its development will benefit not only the Chinese but also the peoples of the world."