The war against Yugoslavia over Kosovo will have far-reaching

implications on international relations in the 21st century, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya said Sunday.

"The Kosovo war was a local war that took place on the European continent at the end of the

20th century, but it will have direct and far-reaching implications on the international situation

and state-to-state relations in the new century," he said.

"It has prompted the international community to profound reflections on future peace and

security," the vice-minister told an informal forum on defence and security in Munich.

Alluding to the effective sidelining of the United Nations in the NATO-led war, Wang asked:

"Are the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and the universally-recognized basic norms

governing international relations that have formed after the Second World War still applicable

today?"

China believes the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and other universally-recognized

norms reflect the common aspiration of people of all countries, he said.

Thus the principle of sovereign equality and non-interference in the affairs of other countries is

by no means outdated, Wang went on.

"Facts have proven that interfering in other countries' internal affairs in the name of human rights

or humanity will only be counter-productive. It will, instead of protecting human rights,

undermine regional stability and directly jeopardize international peace and security," he stated.