Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s1.t1.5

v2.c14.s1.t1.5

On June 25, 1954, Zhou Enlai was invited to pay an official visit to India. Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru suggested extending the Five Principles to Southeast Asia so as to build a peaceful region free from wars and fear. In the joint statement published later, he made it clear that the Five Principles was applicable not only to India and China, but also to other Asian countries and all countries in the world. As proposed by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Five Principles applied the Indian religious term 'Panchsheel'.