BEIJING - China welcomes peace and tranquility in its neighborhood but opposes any action that causes chaos and undermines mutual trust, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said on Saturday.

Yang made the remarks when addressing the opening ceremony of the two-day Third World Peace Forum (WPF) at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

With the theme In Pursuit of Common Security: Peace, Mutual Trust and Responsibility, the forum will discuss security issues in the Asian-Pacific region, the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as nuclear nonproliferation.

China is committed to peaceful development via deepened friendly cooperation with other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, said Yang.

Adhering to a neighborhood diplomacy concept featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, China wants to cooperate with its neighbors, he said.

China’s development will bring more benefits for neighboring countries as well as the world, Yang said.

He said Asia’s fast and tectonic changes in development have laid a solid foundation for peace, and progress in the region has contributed to stronger bonds of common interest.

“With interaction and mutual learning among Asian cultures, the value of harmony and inclusiveness has resonated even more with the Asian people,” the state councilor said.

Despite numerous risks and tests ahead, Asia faces more opportunities to achieve lasting peace than challenges, and has far more solutions for overcoming problems than difficulties, he said.

About 500 guests are attending the forum, including former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi, former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former French Prime Minister Dominique Galouzeau de Villepin, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and former European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.