SWORDS TO PLOUGHSHARES

In response to the "Mutual Defense Treaty" signed by the United States and Taiwan, China's non-CPC parties and mass organizations made a joint declaration on liberating Taiwan in August 1954. They reaffirmed that no foreign power which dared to stand in the way of the People's Liberation Army in Taiwan--an integral part of Chinese territory--would be tolerated.

The CPC Central Military Commission ordered the bombing of Kinmen one month later. The campaign lasted more than two decades until 1979.

As tension gradually eased across the Taiwan Strait, bloodlines bounced back. In 2008, Taiwan allowed mainland tourists to visit the island in groups. The first individual tourists from the mainland started visiting Taiwan three years later. The first 10 months of 2013 saw 1.8 million visitors from the mainland visit the island, up 12.7 percent.

Cross-strait trade surpassed 180 billion U.S. dollars in the first 11 months of last year, an increase of 18.8 percent.

Today, entering "Kinmen, bomb, knife" into the search box on taobao.com, China's e-bay, one finds nearly 1,000 items claimed to be superb kitchen knives made from high-grade steel from shell cases inherited from decades of bombing.

Even if this can be interpreted as a modern version of "swords to ploughshares", there is still much to do for peace and stability, not only across the Strait, but also in the rest of the world.

The Korean Peninsula's denuclearization remains stagnant. A final settlement of Iran's nuclear issue is yet to be reached. Syrian peace talks in Switzerland have reached deadlock, following a session tackling contentious issues, including the possibility of a transitional government. Antiterrorism maneuvers worldwide are facing challenges.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the WWI, one of the most disastrous wars in human history.

In the past century, humankind has been through some of the most significant changes in history, a time when boundaries between the real and cyber worlds have become blurred. Novel technologies including 3-D printing, artificial life, robots and nanotech are reshaping the planet and its inhabitants.

China and other countries are embracing unprecedented opportunities and critical risks.