Vice-President Xi Jinping, right, greets former foreign leaders during the World Peace Forum at Tsinghua University in Beijing on Saturday. [Photo/Xinhua]

China calls for all nations to abandon the old "zero-sum" mentality and work together to tackle challenges in regional security and strive for world peace, Vice-President Xi Jinping said at a forum in Beijing on Saturday.

"Faced with complicated and multiple security challenges, no country can easily stay out without being affected, or achieve so-called absolute security single-handedly," Xi told the audience at the opening ceremony of World Peace Forum 2012, the first non-official high-level forum on international security held in the country.

All nations in the world should be cooperative, innovative and responsible and make joint efforts in pursuit of a win-win situation, he said.

Xi proposed that international security should be achieved through upholding the following principles: common development, equality, mutual trust, dialogue and cooperation, and innovation in security on the world stage.

The forum, being held at Tsinghua University from Saturday to Sunday, was also attended by many former foreign leaders - such as Yukio Hatoyama, former Japanese prime minister; Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Malaysian prime minister; and Dominique de Villepin, former French prime minister - as well as diplomats in Beijing.

Saying his country was inspired by the valuable ideas and theories of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping as well as China's fast growth in recent decades, Alan Garcia Perez, the former president of Peru, praised China's dedication to maintaining the security and global peace, as well as its economic performance that helped it grow to be the "engine" of the world economy in the current global economic downturn at the moment.

During his speech, Xi said China is pursuing development characterized by peace, openness and cooperation, and that "practice has proved that China has become an active participant and constructive force in contributing to the international system." China will keep adhering to the path of peaceful development and will not seek hegemony even when it becomes more developed in the future, Xi said.

China pledges to continue to properly handle the conflicts and frictions with relevant countries in the Asia-Pacific region, maintaining the region's peace and stability with other countries, on the basis of safeguarding the country's sovereignty, safety and territorial integrity, he said.

The country will stick to the policy of "building friendship and partnership with neighboring countries" and to ensure regional peace and stability so as to create a favorable condition for regional development that is win-win for all parties, he added.

Dialogue and negotiation are better options to solve the regional disputes than conflicts or military means, according to Malaysia's Badawi, referring to the escalated tensions in the South China Sea recently.

China's position on South China Sea has been "clear and consistent", according to Wu Shicun, president of Hainan-based National Institute of South China Sea Studies.

"Setting aside disputes and embarking on joint development is the most effective way to solve the issue," he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

qinzhongwei@chinadaily.com.cn