A timely proposal: Global Governance Initiative?charts path forward amid global challenges

As early autumn unfolded, two major events in China captured global attention.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin voiced strong support for defending multilateralism and the international order. Meanwhile, commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War underscored the shared resolve to honor history and build a better future.

At this pivotal moment, Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal of the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) came at the right time. It offers Chinese solutions for strengthening the international order and addressing the chronic shortcomings of global governance. Amid mounting global turbulence and transformation, the initiative provides a timely framework for international cooperation and injects fresh momentum into efforts to overcome governance deficits worldwide.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN).

Eight decades ago, chastened by the devastation of two world wars, the international community established the UN, opening a new chapter in global governance and laying the foundation for lasting peace and development.

Today's commemorations serve not only to remember that hard-won history but also to reaffirm the commitment to international order, advance reform and improvement of the global governance system, and work toward the shared vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

However, the international landscape today is fraught with instability and uncertainty. The UN-centered multilateral system is under strain, and global governance deficits continue to widen.

In terms of participation, the Global South remains seriously underrepresented in the global governance system, even as emerging markets and developing countries continue growing in influence, highlighting the urgent need to enhance their representation and correct historical injustice.

In terms of principles, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter are not being consistently upheld, Security Council resolutions are sometimes ignored, while unilateral sanctions and actions in violation of international law undermine international order.

In terms of effectiveness, implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has fallen behind schedule, while urgent issues such as climate change, widening digital divides, and governance gaps in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and outer space, remain unresolved.

Against this backdrop, the questions of what kind of global governance system should be built and how it should be reformed and improved have become pressing concerns for the international community.

The GGI responds to these questions and points the way forward, meeting the urgent needs of today's world. It rests on five principles: sovereign equality, respect for international rule of law, commitment to multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and concrete action. Together, these highly targeted and forward-looking principles provide systematic answers to the fundamental questions of who governs, how governance is carried out, and whom it ultimately serves.

As Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko observed, these five principles strike at the heart of what is required to address the deficiencies of today's international mechanisms.

The GGI's core principles are consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and reflect the common expectations of the vast majority of countries. Reforming and improving the global governance system is not about dismantling the current international order or creating new systems outside the existing framework. Instead, it seeks to strengthen and improve the capacity and effectiveness of existing systems and mechanisms, making them more effective, more inclusive, and more responsive to the realities of a changing world.

As President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso remarked, this initiative offers a pathway toward a more just and equitable international governance system, bringing tangible benefits to countries of the Global South.

History advances like a relay, with each generation taking up the baton in pursuit of human progress, moving forward step by step in answering the questions of the times.

China stands ready to work with all parties to enhance communication and coordination, jointly implement the GGI, explore pathways toward reforming and improving global governance, and promote the development of a more just and equitable global governance system, thereby contributing to the noble cause of peace and development for all humanity.