José Luis Centella (Trans. Lou Yu): China's Initiatives Make Significant Contributions to Improving the International Landscape

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is soon to be convened. Imceptibly, nearly ten years have passed since the CPC has been under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. These ten years constitute a glorious chapter in the century-long history of the CPC, producing numerous epoch-making achievements. Here, I will discuss the immense contributions made by China during this decade specifically from the perspective of the international landscape.

In today's world, the health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic persists, and the resulting economic and social crises are deepening daily. The stalemate of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has further exacerbated the international environment, and the world structure is developing in an increasingly divided direction. In other words, the world is splitting into several more fragmented blocs of national interests; the connections between these countries are not tight, and they face constant political, economic, and even military confrontations. Against the macro-background of escalating international tensions, the series of initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping appear particularly important and precious, specifically the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Development Initiative (GDI).

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, is based on an infrastructure construction network spanning five continents and covers multiple cooperation projects promoting social, economic, technological, and cultural development. The BRI is currently the largest international cooperation project in history, aiming to promote the social development of China and other countries in the world. It has played a positive role in improving the living standards of people in countries and regions facing severe development difficulties, such as those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In advancing this initiative, China fully emphasizes cooperation foundations such as voluntary participation, mutual respect, equal consultation, openness, and transparency. This stands in sharp contrast to the practices of the United States and the European Union. It is well known that when these Western countries handle trade agreements with other countries, issues such as coloniality, discrimination, opacity, and differential treatment of members are common occurrences. For example, under the logic of colonialism, developing local or inter-regional infrastructure is considered an "unprofitable" project. This is precisely a major highlight of the BRI, reflecting the decolonial and altruistic nature of the Chinese initiatives. Moreover, the BRI not only seeks to establish projects that directly benefit local populations but also advocates for participating countries to join China in exploring methods and measures to solve practical problems, working together to address the developmental dilemmas of people on earth who still suffer from backwardness and social injustice.

Humanity has reached a new historical stage. The BRI provides an important solution for addressing severe global challenges and helps construct a new international order based on the principles of peaceful coexistence. It is worth emphasizing that from its inception, the initiative has prioritized ecological sustainability and the promotion of renewable energy, reflecting China's full respect and sense of responsibility toward the global ecological environment and sustainable development.

A major crisis currently being faced is the significant threat to world peace and security. In recent years, the "New Cold War" mentality has become increasingly prominent in international relations. Under its influence, relations between states have become increasingly estranged and fragmented. Meanwhile, those countries that do not accept the unipolar international order formed since the collapse of the Soviet Union continuously suffer from various provocations as well as direct or implicit sanctions from the Western camp led by the United States. In this context, the Global Security Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping at the Boao Forum for Asia in April 2022 is of great significance. One of the goals of this initiative is to uphold a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. This helps the international community, based on multilateralism and in accordance with the basic principles of the UN Charter, to resolve disputes between states through dialogue and consultation and to reject double standards and unilateral sanctions, thereby effectively maintaining world peace and security.

The Global Security Initiative calls for taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries in the world seriously, respecting global security principles, and building a balanced, effective, and sustainable security architecture, while opposing attempts to achieve one's own security at the expense of the security of other countries. The initiative calls on the international community to strengthen development cooperation and accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Furthermore, the initiative responds to concerns regarding global common challenges, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in areas such as countering terrorism, addressing climate change, and advancing cybersecurity and biosecurity. Therefore, in my view, this Global Security Initiative, summarized by President Xi Jinping as the "Six Commitments" ^[1], is a feasible international initiative that responds to global concerns. It offers strategies for countries to move away from the current confrontational posture that brings serious consequences to all of humanity, representing another sincere contribution of Chinese wisdom to the world. Consequently, this Chinese initiative should be widely disseminated on a global scale and should receive universal attention from all countries.

In September 2021, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative during the general debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. This initiative is inseparable from the Global Security Initiative. In other words, the necessity of jointly advancing the GDI is directly related to the struggle to prevent the world from falling back into a Cold War state. A cold war inevitably leads to alienation and antagonism between nations, and trade wars and economic sanctions are "double-edged swords" that not only damage the interests of the sanctioned countries but also have a serious impact on the countries initiating the sanctions. Therefore, the GDI seeks to promote multi-level, cross-field collaboration, facilitate scientific and technological innovation, and accelerate technology transfer and knowledge sharing. This, in turn, improves the global governance system to end colonialism and the unequal relationship between rich and poor countries, creating a more fair and reasonable institutional environment. As President Xi Jinping stated, we must jointly foster new drivers for global development and promote the realization of more robust, green, and healthy global development.

To some extent, the GDI provides a blueprint for constructing a new model of world governance that seeks peaceful coexistence and shared well-being for humanity. Several passages from President Xi Jinping have left a deep impression on me. He emphasized: "History and reality tell us that seeking one's own security at the expense of others' will only create new contradictions and risks." He also pointed out: "Whether a country's human rights situation is good or not depends primarily on whether the interests of its people are maintained, and whether the people's sense of gain ^[2], happiness, and security are enhanced. This is the most important criterion for testing a country's human rights situation." Similarly, only when people all over the world possess a life of dignity can we consider global security and the human rights of all humanity to be guaranteed.

Through a brief analysis of the three aforementioned Chinese initiatives, we can conclude that they are the Chinese solutions provided by President Xi Jinping and the entire Chinese people in the face of the unprecedented challenges the world is undergoing. It must be emphasized that these Chinese initiatives are all proposed within the framework of the UN Charter and are all aimed at promoting world peace and development. Therefore, the neglect, slander, or malicious distortion of Chinese solutions should be condemned. The common challenges facing humanity require such global initiatives that are people-centered and seek common development.

Historically, the CPC's foreign policy has consistently upheld the two keywords of peace and development. A rapidly developing China is not an aggressive competitor, much less a new hegemon, but a participant sincerely contributing strength to a beautiful future of shared peace and progress for all humanity—an international ally attempting to achieve this goal through equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in fields such as economy and trade, science and technology, and culture. We must clearly recognize that once a "New Cold War" situation takes shape, it will inevitably hinder countries from building good relations characterized by equality, freedom, sovereign independence, and shared stakes, thereby endangering the future of all humanity. From this, we can more profoundly realize that Chinese initiatives play a pivotal role in the development of the future international landscape.