Developing countries are still faced with an arduous task of safeguarding their sovereignty, security and interests. The gap between the North and the South is being widened not only economically, but also in science and technology. The prolonged poverty and backwardness, coupled with external factors, have exacerbated the otherwise latent ethnic rifts, religious feuds and social conflicts in some developing countries, led to conflicts and wars in these countries and impaired their state stability and national development. At the root of these problems are many irrational and inequitable factors in the current international political and economic order. They are detrimental not only to world peace and development, but also to the stability and development of the vast number of developing countries.
Mankind is about to usher in a new century.
It has been the demand of the times and call of the people all over the world to establish an equitable and just new international political and economic order. Let us work together with wisdom and courage to build such a new order and advance the lofty cause of peace and development for mankind. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the principles and spirit enshrined in the OAU Charter and the other universally recognized norms governing international relations should form the political basis for the new international order. Furthermore, it is imperative to establish some new principles responsive to the spirit of the times and to the changes and developments in the world provided that people of all nations can reach consensus. In the new international order, the right of all countries to sovereign equality and to freedom from outside interference in their internal affairs must be ensured to them.