Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

 
The Global Governance Initiative (GGI), proposed by China at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus meeting in Tianjin, comes as the framework of a new world order is rapidly emerging. 

The first of the five principles of the GGI is a commitment to sovereign equality - a founding principle of the UN, which has recently come under increasing attack. In light of the fact that China is now the world's biggest economic power, measured by Purchasing Power Parity, many see China as a new leader after the US has taken the role as the unipolar power leading the world since the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991. By staying committed to sovereign equality, China renounces any claim to such a role and instead adheres to a world order where even the nation of Denmark has the same sovereign rights as a civilizational nation as China, despite the differences in size, economic power, and historical contributions.

The second principle of the GGI is adherence to international rule of law. This has increasingly been a forgotten principle since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the birth of the "Unipolar Moment," when the US was viewed as the sole superpower and "indispensable power" standing above all others. This perception has led to hubris and an increasing self-enrichment of Western elites at the expense of others. However, no nation, no matter how powerful it is, can set itself above other countries and cancel their rights. 

The third principle of the GGI, staying committed to multilateralism, directly affirms China's lack of interest in becoming the world's hegemon. This is a wise action by China, since history shows, for instance during the past 40 years, that having an imperial hegemon does not end well for either the nation dominating or those being dominated. The US' role as a hegemon has led to a rapid degrading of both the economic, legal and moral order in the US itself, to a degree that the US population, the majority of which could earlier count on an increasingly prosperous and good life, now experiences quite the opposite. Multilateralism is not only a check against future attempts to become a world hegemon, but it is also the key to making sure that all the world's many different cultures and traditions can live on side by side in collaboration and harmony.

The fourth GGI principle is a people-centered approach, which is very comforting for me as a Dane in light of our Danish cultural tradition of making sure that the interests of the system cannot be set above the interests of the people. When in doubt, always put the people and their well-being first - and certainly far above financial interests - including making the necessary long-term investments to secure an even better and happier life in the future. But this point could also mean that the best way to secure a peaceful and prosperous world is to have a growing worldwide people-to-people dialogue and interaction, and this should be promoted among all nations.

The fifth principle of the GGI is a commitment to concrete action. Rhetoric means little without results. Fine words alone, as is often the case at international conferences, mean nothing if they do not lead to practical results. It is always important, while having an end goal in sight that might be located many years ahead in the future, funding and resources should be phased, so that the project can be adjusted and improved as circumstances evolve and as understanding of the ongoing processes deepens.

The US and its Western allies are in ever more desperate financial and political straits, as the full weight of the increasingly flawed policies of the past four decades plays out. A solution to all this can only be found by returning to the principles of sovereignty and collaboration, not just among the Western nations themselves, but in collaboration with the rest of the world, based on the principles of a new multipolar world, as outlined in the GGI. The Schiller Institute is doing everything in its power to get the US and Europe to cooperate with the Global South to the benefit of all. Let all nations embrace in this dialogue exemplified by the GGI, so that we may find a way of living and developing together, in a shared destiny for all mankind.

Tom Gillesberg is the President of the Schiller Institute in Denmark. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn