Wang Lei: Why the Global Governance Initiative Injects Stability and Certainty into the World
In September of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" meeting held in Tianjin. He called on all countries to join hands in building a community with a shared future for humanity and to construct a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, cleanliness, and beauty, further contributing Chinese wisdom and proposing Chinese solutions to strengthen and perfect global governance. This initiative elucidates the principles, methods, and paths that must be followed to reform and perfect global governance, pointing the way for the future and prospects of humanity. Following the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), it is yet another important public product contributed to the world. It demonstrates China's responsibility and action in international affairs, injecting stability and certainty into a turbulent and uneasy world.
I. Firmly Grasping the Core Concepts of the Global Governance Initiative
General Secretary Xi Jinping has clarified the core concepts of the Global Governance Initiative: namely, upholding sovereign equality, abiding by the international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating a people-centered approach, and emphasizing action-orientation. These five core concepts elucidate the principles, methods, and paths required to reform and perfect global governance, representing an inheritance, development, and innovation of the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.
Sovereign equality is the primary prerequisite for global governance. Sovereign equality is the most important norm regulating relations between states and the primary prerequisite followed by the United Nations and all international institutions and organizations. The core of sovereign equality lies in the fact that all countries—regardless of size, strength, or wealth—must have their sovereignty and dignity respected. All have the right to participate equally in decision-making and benefit equally from global governance. The global governance system must better embody and reflect the interests of the majority of countries, respond to the demands of developing countries, and significantly enhance the representation and voice of the Global South [1].
The international rule of law is the fundamental guarantee for global governance. International law and international rules are the common yardstick; they should be jointly written, maintained, and implemented by all countries, and there is—and should be—no exception.
"There is only one system in the world, which is the international system with the United Nations at its core; there is only one set of rules, which are the basic norms governing international relations based on the UN Charter." The purposes and principles of the UN Charter are the universally recognized basic norms of international relations and must be unswervingly maintained. In the handling of interstate relations and international affairs, the relations and interests of various countries can only be coordinated through systems and rules; "it can no longer be allowed that whoever has the bigger fist has the final say."
Multilateralism is the basic path for global governance. The core concept of the current international system and international order is multilateralism. Global governance is everyone's business and concerns the vital interests of every country; it must rely on coordination and cooperation rather than unilateral bullying. We should adhere to a global governance outlook of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits [2], advocating that international affairs be discussed by all countries, global governance rules be formulated by all countries, and development achievements be shared by the people of all countries.
Being people-centered is the value orientation of global governance. The people of all countries are the fundamental participants in and beneficiaries of global governance, and improving human well-being is its ultimate goal. In the final analysis, global governance is about turning the aspirations of people worldwide for a better life into reality, jointly building a world where everyone enjoys abundance and well-being. It takes the rights to survival, development, security, and the environment of people across the globe as its fundamental starting point, truly grounding the legitimacy of global governance in the overall well-being of the people of all nations and indeed all of humanity. Advancing global governance is a cause that benefits the people of the world. Only by targeting the well-being of the people and continuously boosting public confidence and stable expectations can the global governance system gain broad support and operate effectively.
Action-orientation is an important principle of global governance. The weight of global governance lies in action. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must persist in systemic planning and holistic advancement, coordinate global actions, fully mobilize resources from all parties, create more visible results, and avoid governance lag and fragmentation through pragmatic cooperation." The key to global governance lies in both addressing immediate, pressing issues and focusing on the future and the long term, solving the practical problems of concern to all countries—especially the vast number of developing nations. Its principle is to be "effective" and to "avoid governance lag and fragmentation." We must look toward long-term challenges in the future and persist in systemic planning and holistic advancement.
II. Deeply Understanding the Great Significance of the Global Governance Initiative
The transformation of the global governance system is not about overturning the existing international order or starting from scratch outside the current international system; rather, it is about advancing with the times, reforming, and perfecting it. The Global Governance Initiative conforms to the general trend of human social development and meets the urgent needs of today's world. It provides a Chinese solution to the question of the era: "What kind of global governance system should be built, and how should global governance be reformed and perfected?" It is a major strategic move by China to promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system.
It aims to promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system. Currently, the changes unseen in a century [3] are evolving in depth. The collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries has brought about a revolutionary change in the international balance of power, making the problems of the global governance system’s inadequacy and mismatch more prominent than ever. Meanwhile, the international situation is characterized by a convergence of change and disorder; acts of power politics and bullying are causing profound harm, seriously impacting multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations. The problems and challenges facing the international community have become more complex and diverse. In this context, the demand for reform and perfection of global governance is more urgent than ever. The Global Governance Initiative holds high the banner of multilateralism, aiming to jointly promote more just and reasonable global governance, better respond to global challenges, serve the interests of all countries—especially developing ones—better bridge the North-South development gap, and better safeguard the common interests of all nations.
It enriches and perfects the methods and paths of global governance. The Global Governance Initiative opposes the monopoly of rule-making by a few countries and advocates for joint formulation by the majority. At the same time, it advocates for the equal and uniform application of international law and rules. The initiative emphasizes comprehensive, full, and complete compliance with the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. It rejects "double standards" and the imposition of the "house rules" of a few countries on others. Facing cross-domain global public issues such as climate change, public health security, and digital governance, traditional governance paths rely heavily on coerced coordination and interest compromises, making it difficult to form systemic solutions. The Global Governance Initiative anchors the direction, principles, and paths for the reform of global governance systems and mechanisms. It synergizes with the GDI to promote governance through development and safeguard development through governance; it synergizes with the GSI to resolve conflicts through dialogue and consultation, creating a stable environment for governance; and it synergizes with the GCI to enhance understanding and mutual trust, consolidating the social and public foundation for multilateral cooperation. The Global Governance Initiative persists in a problem-oriented approach, utilizing a logic of dialogue and consultation over confrontation and maneuvers, mutual benefit and win-win results over zero-sum games, and multilateralism over unilateralism, to build consensus and lock in achievements through pragmatic cooperation.
It gathers immense synergy for building a community with a shared future for humanity. In today's world, the interests of all countries are integrated and their futures are intertwined; we are in a state of "you are in me, and I am in you." The prophecy that "history becomes world history" [4] has long since become a reality. Expanding common interests must be maintained through continuously improving common governance; hand-in-hand cooperation and mutual benefit have become the only correct choice for all countries. The Global Governance Initiative grasps the major trend of the times—that all countries are increasingly becoming a community of shared interests, responsibilities, and future. Together with the GDI, GSI, and GCI, it forms an organic whole that promotes prosperity through development, ensures stability through security, increases mutual trust through civilization, and seeks justice through governance. It injects stability and certainty into a world intertwined with change and disorder, becoming the strategic guide for promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity.
III. China is Always a Man of Action in Reforming and Perfecting Global Governance
China proposed the Global Governance Initiative with the maintenance of the UN Charter's purposes and principles and the practice of the global governance outlook of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits as its basic follow-through. It has always remained a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order, and a provider of public products.
Steadfastly following the path of peaceful development, China remains a builder of world peace. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and demonstrates the responsibility of a major power in maintaining global strategic stability. It promotes the construction of a major-power relationship pattern characterized by peaceful coexistence, overall stability, and balanced development. It led the way in having the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states [5] issue a joint statement on preventing nuclear war for the first time, taking the lead as a "stabilizer" for world peace. It explores and practices Chinese-path solutions to hotspot issues, promoting an Asian security model of shared safety or danger, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and dialogue and consultation. On hotspot issues such as the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China upholds objectivity and fairness and promotes political settlements. China shows the world with solid results that maintaining world peace is by no means a slogan, but a Chinese action to bridge conflicts, promote cooperation, and protect human well-being.
Persisting in the path of common development, China remains a contributor to global development. As the world's second-largest economy, China's steady economic growth provides important support and significant increments for the recovery of the world economy, which in itself is a massive boost to the cause of global development. China initiated the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, promoted the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Silk Road Fund, and the New Development Bank, and built widely welcomed platforms for open cooperation. It established the "China-UN Peace and Development Fund" and the "Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund" to promote the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It announced the expansion of high-level, institutional opening-up, hosted the China International Import Expo, and expanded a global network of high-standard free trade zones, firmly leading the general direction of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. In recent years, China's annual contribution rate to world economic growth has remained around 30%, making it the most stable and reliable power source for world economic development.
Unswervingly safeguarding the authority and status of the United Nations, China remains a defender of the international order. The United Nations is the most universal, representative, and authoritative intergovernmental international organization in the world today. Over the past 80 years, it has played an irreplaceable role in maintaining peace, promoting development, and improving people’s livelihoods. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must revisit the original aspiration of the founding of the United Nations, reaffirm our commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and promote the UN to revitalize its authority and vitality under new circumstances, becoming the main platform for all countries to coordinate actions and jointly respond to challenges." China firmly maintains the international system with the UN at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, while firmly supporting the UN in playing a central role in international affairs. No matter how the international situation changes, China actively participates in various UN affairs and remains a steadfast supporter and builder of the cause of the United Nations.
Persisting in perfecting governance rules in key areas, China remains a provider of public goods. In recent years, issues such as climate change and the digital divide have become increasingly prominent, and the governance deficit in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence and cyberspace has become evident. China actively participates in formulating governance rules for emerging fields, proposing the "Global AI Governance Initiative" and advocating for the establishment of a World AI Cooperation Organization to promote the development of AI toward goodness and universal benefit. It proposed the "Global Data Security Initiative" and promoted the implementation of the "Global Digital Compact" under the UN framework to ensure that all countries share digital opportunities. It promoted the reaching and implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework," and funded the establishment of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, leading the construction of a global ecological civilization. It promotes innovation in the field of the international rule of law, working with 32 countries to establish the International Organization for Mediation, providing a new choice and path for the efficient and peaceful resolution of international disputes.