Illustration: VCG
History's baton is passed from one generation to the next, propelling humanity's progress forward as we respond to the challenges of our times.
Looking back at the tumultuous year of 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" Meeting in Tianjin - a historic moment that resonated globally.
Thus, the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and the GGI collectively form a system of public goods offered by China to address global challenges, establishing a clear framework for China's efforts to advance the reform and improvement of the global governance system.
As a systematic Chinese solution, these four global initiatives, each with its own focus, are entirely compatible. Together they constitute an organic whole where development promotes prosperity, security ensures stability, inter-civilization exchange enhances trust, and governance advances justice. They collectively point toward an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, providing strategic guidance for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
A systematic answer to the questions of our time: charting humanity's path forward with holistic thinking
The world in 2025 faces mounting challenges. The Global Peace Index 2025 released by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace reveals that there are currently 59 active state-based conflicts - the most since the end of World War II. With only five years left to fulfill the vision of the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, just 35 percent of its specific targets are making modest gains as planned, while over 800 million people worldwide still live in absolute poverty.
The erosion of peace, imbalance in development, discord among civilizations and failure of governance - all these issues intertwine and compound. UN Secretary-General António Guterres consistently warns that humanity faces interconnected crises and the current global governance is inadequate.
To address systemic risks, comprehensive measures are imperative. China has offered a systemic response grounded in holistic thinking and long-term vision: "We must vigorously promote common values for all humankind. We must practice true multilateralism, promote the implementation of the GDI, the GSI, the GCI and the GGI, and work with other countries to build a community with a shared future for humanity."
Facing the setbacks in global development progress, the decline in openness indicators and the growing North-South disparity, the GDI defines the development philosophy humanity needs and outlines how to achieve global development. It propels development issues back to the core of the international agenda, injecting momentum into the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Addressing pressures on world peace and the growing security deficit, the GSI tackles the question of what kind of security philosophy the world needs and how to achieve common security. It advocates for a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable approach to security, urging all parties to pursue a new path toward security that features dialogue, partnership and win-win over confrontation, alliance and zero-sum game.
Confronted by the resurgence of the theories of "clash of civilizations" and institutional confrontation, the GCI clarifies what kind of vision humanity needs for civilization and how to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning. It advocates for promoting inter-civilizational exchanges, mutual learning and inclusiveness to overcome cultural misunderstanding, clash and supremacy, so as to jointly advance human civilizations.
In response to the erosion of multilateralism and the widening governance deficit, the GGI addresses the questions of what kind of global governance system to build and how to reform and improve global governance. It advocates for the principle of upholding sovereign equality, adhering to the international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating people-centered approach, and focusing on taking real actions, driving the establishment of a more just and equitable global governance system.
Rooted in profound insights into today's global challenges, the four global initiatives respond to the international community's urgent needs, demonstrating a high degree of unity between goal-oriented and problem-oriented approaches. Positioned within the systemic coordinates of humanity's developmental tide, the world's changing landscape, and China's developmental history, China has consistently maintained that the progress of the times and the awakening of the people have rendered "one country's hegemony" or "small-circle governance" untenable. World affairs increasingly require collective deliberation among nations, the establishment of international mechanisms, adherence to global rules and the advancement of worldwide cooperation.
People with petty shrewdness attend to trivial matters while those with greater wisdom attend to governance of institutions. The turmoil facing today's world reflects deeper problems in development, ideology, and governance. Maintaining strategic resolve and upholding a systemic perspective, China analyzes the mechanisms of change and proposes solutions amid the currents of the times and global developments, consistently guiding the direction of progress through global transformation.
Upholding the core value of putting people first: weave human well-being into the grand narrative
While embracing all of humanity, the four global initiatives also focus on the "individual," clearly embodying a shared core value: putting people first. Advancing the building of a community with a shared future for humanity ultimately aims to enable all peoples to share in peace, development and dignity, creating a brighter future for human society.
Who is development for?
The GDI explicitly advocates a people-centered approach, emphasizing the protection and improvement of livelihoods, the safeguarding and promotion of human rights, and ensuring that "development is for the people, reliant on the people, and that its fruits should be shared by the people," thereby achieving the full development of humanity.
In Lesotho, the "10-square-meter mushroom cultivation model" has provided livelihood security for land-poor farmers. The irrigation system renovation project in Kyrgyzstan has improved water supply efficiency for over 4,000 hectares of land, helping the region tackle drought challenges. China's international anti-malaria assistance has provided billions of doses of artemisinin-based medicines, benefiting approximately 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Additionally, it continues to combat hunger, build roads and bridges, provide water and electricity, and improve public health... Addressing urgent needs, the GDI focuses on the real demands and priorities of people worldwide in development, benefiting the livelihoods of an increasing number of countries.
Who does security protect?
Without peace and stability, maintaining people's happy lives is impossible. The GSI staying committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, emphasizing respect the right of the people of all countries to independently choose their development paths and social systems. This aims to ensure every country enjoys a peaceful and stable environment, allowing people everywhere to live and work in peace and contentment.
From facilitating the restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran and promoting Palestinian internal reconciliation, to tireless efforts toward political solutions for the Ukraine crisis and the Israel-Palestine conflict... China remains committed to building mutual trust, resolving disputes and promoting security through dialogue. This approach is not only the fundamental path to ceasefire, end hostilities and protect civilians, but also the enduring way to eliminate the root causes of conflict and achieve lasting peace.
Who does civilization nourish?
In the garden of human civilization, the dignity of every nation and every individual should be protected, and the value of every civilization should be respected. The GCI upholds the promotion of common values shared by all humanity, empowering people worldwide to pursue peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom through their own chosen paths.
Conducting multi-level, multi-domain civilizational dialogues, expanding exchanges in education, science and technology, culture, and academia, and fostering friendly interactions between local communities... The GCI advances international cultural exchanges and cooperation, building bridges for peoples worldwide to understand each other, and grow closer.
Whose interests does governance serve?
All peoples should be the fundamental participants and beneficiaries of global governance. Only by prioritizing people's well-being and delivering tangible gains can the global governance system gain deep-rooted support and solid public foundation.
The GGI explicitly advocates a people-centered approach, calling for reform and improvement of the global governance system to ensure people from all nations can jointly participate in global governance and share its outcomes. Providing new financing channels for global development, advancing global climate governance and deepening international cooperation on sustainable development... China actively leads governance reforms in areas such as international financial architecture, artificial intelligence, climate change and trade, fully embodying a people-centered value orientation.
The time-honored tenets of "the people are the foundation of a state; when the foundation is firm, the state is stable" and "bringing benefit to the people is a fundamental principle of governance" have been passed down through generations, shaping today's China, which upholds the principle of "responding to people's concerns and pursuing the larger interests of all countries." Chinese modernization adheres to a people-centered approach, and the global public goods China provides also focus on people, coordinating efforts around human needs. This is precisely the emotional foundation upon which the four global initiatives have gained widespread recognition.
Maintain a global vision of justice: safeguard the common interests of the Global South
The collective rise of Global South countries is a prominent sign of major changes in the world.
For centuries, Western powers pursued interests and hegemony through war, colonization and the carving of spheres of influence. Today, the international community is gradually shifting toward a system where relations are coordinated and interests balanced through institutional rules. The pursuit of fairness and justice has become a shared aspiration of the vast majority of countries. The four global initiatives reflect the collective demands of the Global South and demonstrate China's sense of responsibility in upholding international fairness and justice. As noted by some international media, the Chinese approach embodied in the four global initiatives is closely linked to the building of a more balanced and multipolar world order, resonating with developing countries' growing desire for a greater voice in international affairs.
Development imbalance causes deep-rooted injustice. Currently, whether it is unilateralism and protectionism impacting the global economy, or climate change, energy security and food security affecting development, the countries of the Global South are most affected.
The GDI stresses the realization of inclusive development for the benefits of all, focusing on addressing the special development difficulties of developing countries, and advocating for a united, equal, balanced and inclusive high-quality global development partnership. Providing assistance to Mongolia for slum redevelopment, offering food aid to children in Nepal, and helping Egyptian residents drill wells, the GDI is practical and problem-solving, bringing tangible progress to the cause of global development. Ali El-Hefny, vice-chairman of the Cairo-based Egypt-China Friendship Association, expressed the shared sentiment that the GDI provides a just and efficient global development plan, offering new options for Global South countries.
Turmoil and conflicts endanger the well-being of all countries. Humanity is an inseparable security community; one country's security should not come at the expense of another's. The pursuit of absolute security by certain countries is precisely a major source of regional and international security deficits.
As an old Chinese saying goes, "To cure a disease, one should treat its root causes; to fix a problem, one should target its source." The GSI emphasizes the legitimate security concerns of all countries, upholding the principle of indivisible security and advocating for a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. By assisting regional countries in implementing the "Horn of Africa Peace and Development Concept," helping Pacific island countries enhance their capability to deal with non-traditional security threats, and promoting a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory international non-proliferation order, China, under the framework of the GSI, advances security cooperation with all parties, working together to build a world free from fear and characterized by universal security.
Civilizational clashes intensify world divisions. Arrogance and prejudice create barriers and hinder cooperation. To build a community with a shared future, we need to ensure inclusiveness and mutual learning among civilizations.
The GCI advocates for respecting diversity of civilizations, and upholds the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness. "Our View of Civilizations: A Global Public Opinions Survey Research Report" shows that the GCI has received high recognition, with 90.8 percent of respondents agreeing that respecting diversity is a fundamental principle that the international community should follow. BRICS countries share experiences of governance; youths from Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries participate in the SCO Youth Camp for in-depth dialogue; China and ASEAN countries conduct extensive people-to-people and cultural exchanges… In the process of implementing the GCI, diverse cultures flourish and illuminate each other.
The deficit of fairness erodes the foundation of governance. Eight decades ago, the founding of the UN marked a historic milestone in global governance. Today, UN membership has grown from 51 member states to 193 member states, and the global power structure has undergone profound changes. Enhancing the representation and voice of the Global South in global governance is an urgent task of our times.
The GGI advocates that all countries, regardless of size, strength and wealth, are equal participants, decision-makers and beneficiaries in global governance, opposing unilateralism and double standards. The GCI is "a significant initiative that will help foster a more just and equitable global governance system and benefit Global South countries," said President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, expressing the common voice of the Global South.
The most resolute position of the four global initiatives is to uphold the banner of multilateralism. As a cornerstone of the existing international order and an effective pathway to maintaining peace and fostering development, multilateralism remains essential. These four global initiatives align with the trends toward multipolarization and the democratization of international relations. They will significantly strengthen the international community's confidence and determination to practice multilateralism and reinforce multilateral mechanisms, helping to ensure that fairness and justice prevail throughout the world.
Uphold a clear orientation that action speaks louder than words: gather international strength through pragmatic actions
Great truths can be realized only through actions. The four global initiatives adhere to a clear action-oriented approach, continuously injecting stability and positive energy into a turbulent world.
Historically, from the establishment of the postwar international order to the surge of economic globalization, the deepening of international cooperation and the progress of global governance have consistently relied on the leadership of major countries. Today, China has not only put forward the four global initiatives but is also taking the lead in implementing them, fully demonstrating the sense of responsibility and commitment of a major country that unites vision with action. In advancing these initiatives, China provides solutions, builds platforms and leads by example, enabling all parties to participate as equals, share responsibilities and embrace a common future.
Concrete investments promote common global development. With China's vigorous efforts, the GDI mobilized over $23 billion to support the development and invigoration of the Global South, and launched more than 1,800 cooperation projects. In the next five years, China will implement another 2,000 "small and beautiful" livelihood projects in developing countries, and work with relevant countries and the World Health Organization to carry out more health projects. These forward-looking plans will further gather development efforts.
The new security concept is transforming into concrete cooperation actions. The Beijing Xiangshan Forum, the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum (Lianyungang), the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum and the China-Latin America High-Level Defense Forum gather consensus on addressing security challenges; the Global Initiative on Data Security and the Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Initiative lead the international security governance process in emerging fields; and the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation with more than 30 countries fills gaps in the international mediation mechanism. These innovative actions effectively help bridge the security governance deficit.
Mutual learning among civilizations has been promoted through building dialogue and exchange platforms. Throughout 2025, activities such as the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations in New York, Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi, Paris, Bangkok and The Hague, the Fourth Dialogue on Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations, the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting, and the Beijing Cultural Forum were held successively. A series of civilization dialogues have become bonds of peace, drivers of development and bridges of friendship.
China has led the exploration of methods and pathways to reform and improve global governance. Not long ago, the Group of Friends of Global Governance initiated by China was officially established at the UN headquarters in New York. At the UN General Assembly Briefing on the UN80 Initiative, China delivered the joint statement on behalf of the 43 members of the Group of Friends of Global Governance. This was the first time this group voiced unity on the UN platform. China will leverage the platforms provided by the UN, relevant international organizations, and regional and subregional multilateral institutions to focus on urgent governance needs and address governance deficits, firmly upholding the authority and central role of the UN and supporting the UN in implementing the Pact for the Future, and work in concert for a more just and equitable global governance system.
As an ancient Chinese goes: "Where true virtue is found, the people pledge their support;" "Where righteousness reigns, the people give their allegiance." The four global initiatives originate from China and belong to the world. China actively plays a leading role in gathering greater consensus and strength for cooperation. To date, over 130 countries and international organizations have taken part in the implementation of the GDI; over 80 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI; the GSI has gained the support of over 130 countries and regional and international organizations, and has been written into over 140 bilateral and multilateral documents between China and other countries or international organizations; the GCI has been repeatedly incorporated into UN resolutions and various bilateral and multilateral documents; and since its proposal, the GGI has sparked widespread international response, with over 140 countries and international organizations quickly expressing support .
Victory is ensured when people pool their strength. From China's initiatives to global consensus, from bilateral cooperation to multilateral actions, the vitality of the four global initiatives lies in their continuous demonstration of action orientation and win-win effects.
An ancient Chinese philosopher said of the importance of principles, "Uphold the Great Principle, and the world will follow." The four global initiatives have become widely welcomed international public goods because they meet the needs of the times and align with popular aspirations. At the crossroads of human history, China leads with its visions and takes responsibility through action, demonstrating the firm determination and historical consciousness of a responsible major country to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
When the wind is strong and the tides are high, the international community needs to work together more than ever. As long as countries worldwide jointly implement the four global initiatives, practice true multilateralism and unite in action, the great ship of human destiny will be able to pierce through the fog and waves, sail forward and reach the bright shore of the future.
Guo Jiping is an international commentary column of the People's Daily, founded in 2005. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
