Wang Yiwei: Why Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind Forms the Greatest Common Denominator for Constructing a Better World

In his speech at the meeting commemorating the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People's Republic of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations, President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity is not about replacing one system with another, nor is it about replacing one civilization with another. Instead, it is about countries with different social systems, different ideologies, different histories and cultures, and different levels of development sharing symbiotic interests, rights, and responsibilities in international affairs, thereby forming the greatest common denominator ^[1] for building a better world together." Building a community with a shared future for humanity is the Chinese proposal offered in response to the questions of what kind of world should be built and how to build it. It conforms to the universal aspirations of people from all countries, points the way toward the progress of world civilization, and is the lofty goal pursued by China's major-country diplomacy ^[2] with Chinese characteristics in the New Era.

Building a community with a shared future for humanity possesses significant theoretical value, profound global significance, and powerful practical force. Based on an adherence to the Marxist theory of world history and the concept of community, the building of a community with a shared future for humanity constitutes a reflection on the future and destiny of humanity with greater historical depth, and provides guidance for the direction of human progress with greater contemporary characteristics, endowing Marxism with new epochal and practical significance. Only by deeply understanding these elements can we more accurately grasp the rich connotations of the statement that "building a community with a shared future for humanity is not about replacing one system with another, nor is it about replacing one civilization with another."

First, the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity enriches and develops the Marxist theory of world history. In The German Ideology, Marx and Engels stated: "The separate individuals form the more the history becomes transformed into world-history, the more the original isolation of the separate nationalities is destroyed by the perfected mode of production and intercourse, and the division of labour between various nations naturally brought forth by this." Marx and Engels applied historical materialism to analyze the laws governing the evolution of human social formations, used the "association of free individuals" to describe the future communist society, and proposed the concept of community.

The realization of the association of free individuals signifies the liberation of all humanity and represents the highest stage of human historical development. The association of free individuals described by Marx is a concept envisioned to transcend human alienation ^[3] in the era of the industrial economy. Today, while the industrial economy persists, the digital economy is rising comprehensively. The community with a shared future for humanity profoundly describes the mindset and concepts engendered by the modes of production and lifestyles of the digital economy era. The concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity emphasizes a shared destiny and maintains that "the histories, cultures, and social systems of various countries each have their own merits; there is no distinction of superior or inferior. The key lies in whether they conform to the national conditions of the country, whether they can win the support and advocacy of the people, whether they can bring about political stability, social progress, and improvement of people’s livelihoods, and whether they can contribute to the cause of human progress."

Second, the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity embodies the concept of "harmony and union" (he-he) ^[4] in Chinese civilization. Chinese culture prizes harmony, and China's "harmony" culture has a long history, containing a cosmology of the unity of heaven and humanity ^[5], an international outlook of harmony among all nations, a social outlook of harmony without uniformity ^[6], and a moral outlook of kindness and benevolence. Throughout more than 5,000 years of pulverized civilization development, the Chinese nation has always pursued and inherited the firm concepts of peace, concord, and harmony. Pulling together in times of trouble and harmonious coexistence are the historical genes of the Chinese nation and the essence of Eastern civilization. The concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity extends the principle of "harmony without uniformity" to the height of pursuing the common values of all humanity.

Today's world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century ^[7]. President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Human society once again faces a historical crossroads where it must choose which way to go. Will it be hostility and confrontation or mutual respect? Will it be closure and decoupling or openness and cooperation? Will it be a zero-sum game or mutual benefit and win-win results? The choice is in our hands, and the responsibility is on our shoulders. Humanity is a single whole, and the Earth is one home. Facing common challenges, no individual or country can stand alone in isolation; the only way out for humanity is to pull together in times of trouble and coexist in harmony." The concept of a community with a shared future for humanity advocates that all countries in the world share the same breath and destiny, possessing distinct characteristics of openness, inclusiveness, fairness, justice, harmonious coexistence, mutual learning among diverse cultures, and solidarity and cooperation. Building a community with a shared future for humanity advocates respect for national sovereignty and maintains that the destiny of the world should be jointly held by all countries, international rules should be jointly written by all countries, global affairs should be jointly governed by all countries, and the fruits of development should be jointly shared by all countries.

Currently, phenomena such as first-mover advantage, "rule lock-in," and path dependency are prevalent in global governance, making the aspects of the existing international order that are unsuited to contemporary development more prominent. In contrast, the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity advocates a global governance outlook of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits. This has been fully reflected in the international cooperation of the Belt and Road Initiative, thereby attracting enthusiastic responses and active participation from more than three-quarters of the world's countries. Under the guidance of the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity, China also advocates for the construction of a new type of international relations centered on win-win cooperation, deepens and expands global partnerships characterized by equality, openness, and cooperation, and firmly believes that "amidst the changes of world affairs, peace and development remain the main theme, and win-win cooperation remains the absolute principle."

Finally, the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity aligns with the trends of the times. The white paper A Global Community of Shared Future: China's Proposals and Actions points out: "It is generally recognized that peace and stability, material abundance, and spiritual enrichment are the basic pursuits of human social development. Development is the material basis for security and civilization; security is the fundamental prerequisite for development and civilization; and civilization is the spiritual support for development and security. China has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, pointing the way forward for human society from the three dimensions of development, security, and civilization. These initiatives echo and complement each other, serving as important pillars for promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and providing the Chinese solution to major questions concerning human peace and development."

The Global Development Initiative is highly consistent with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly echoing the aspirations of the vast number of developing countries for development. The Global Security Initiative upholds the concept of common security, emphasizes comprehensive measures, persists in the path of cooperation, and seeks sustainable security, contributing wisdom to addressing international security challenges. The Global Civilization Initiative advocates that all countries respect the diversity of world civilizations, helping to promote exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations. Seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation is the original aspiration and founding mission of Chinese Communists. Comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization is the central task of the Party and the state on the new journey in the New Era. Building a community with a shared future for humanity is one of the essential requirements of Chinese-path modernization. It has not only been written into the Constitution of the Communist Party of China and the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, but has also been included in relevant United Nations resolutions multiple times, and was described by Peter Thomson, President of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, as "the only future for humanity on this planet." The concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity focuses on the well-being of all humanity, encompassing both realistic reflection and future-oriented vision; it describes a beautiful prospect while providing a practical path and action plan; it concerns the future of humanity and is also vital to the fate of every individual. China is not only an active advocate for promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity but also a steadfast practitioner. The joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative is a vivid practice of building a community with a shared future for humanity, opening a new path for the common development of all countries.

In short, building a community with a shared future for humanity is not about replacing one system with another, nor is it about replacing one civilization with another. Rather, it is about promoting the democratization of international relations and pushing global governance toward a more just and reasonable direction. It conforms to the common interests of all humanity and reflects the aspirations of the world's people for peace, justice, and progress. The community with a shared future for humanity is a bright banner leading the trends of the times and the direction of human progress. It is the righteous path for the world, fully demonstrating the "concern for all under heaven" (tianxia) ^[8] of Chinese Communists in "seeking progress for humanity and seeking the Great Unity for the world."