One hopes not, as that settlement has contributed greatly to keeping the peace over the last 70 years; but, after 20 years of welcoming "the end of the Cold War," is it really correct to continue to do so? Currently the tension between Russia and the West is as serious as ever it was. Nobody wants a new Cold War, but close is it?

This issue threatens the effectiveness of the UN security mechanisms, about which China is quite properly concerned. And the complex struggle in the Middle East challenges the whole concept of respect for the sovereign state set out in the UN Charter, with Syria and Iraq both in danger of falling apart - quite apart from the lingering and dangerous festering Israel/Palestine dispute.

As Qu himself said: "The co-existence of traditional and non-traditional threats is the major problem facing the current international security situation."

New threats require new thinking. Qu made China's view clear that ill-considered intervention has frequently caused or exacerbated regional upheavals. This of course is aimed at the West, and it is difficult to deny. Western interventions have generally taken place out of a sincere sense of responsibility for solving problems, but have rarely achieved their declared aims.

There are always unintended consequences - often quite serious ones. And yet one cannot always sit back and allow unfortunate situations to persist and develop in dangerous directions. China is particularly concerned at the rise in global terrorism, which Qu called "the common enemy of mankind" as shown by recent terrorist attacks on PRC territory.

China's realistic and constructive assessment of the problems facing the world is most welcome. It's important that we in the West should not see China's approach as somehow inimical to our own, even when we are criticised occasionally.

China's less interventionist approach can provide a useful balance to the Western tendency to activism, and when all major powers find themselves able to cooperate in mutually complementary ways without friction, the chances of achieving a more stable and peaceful world, even in a time of international turmoil, must surely increase.

The writer is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.ccgp-fushun.com/opinion/timcollard.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn