Czech President Petr Pavel:

We need rules. Not because all states are equally powerful, but precisely because they are not. Rules have value only if they bind everyone, especially those powerful enough to break them.

When rules are cast aside, raw power fills the vacuum. A world dominated by great power competition is a volatile world, less able to address the most pressing challenges of our time. It is a world where a single spark can ignite a fire.

Instead, we should insist that with greater power comes greater responsibility. Responsibility in the use of force, responsibility to exercise restraint, but also responsibility to use one’s influence to prevent force from becoming necessary in the first place.

This applies particularly to permanent members of the UN Security Council. China has the power, influence, and responsibility to help prevent conflicts, to de-escalate tensions, and contribute to ending wars.

This includes using its influence to help bring Russia’s aggression against Ukraine to an end.