China's initiatives provide solutions to global challenges: Experts

Over the past year, regional hot spots such as the Ukraine crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have deepened the crisis in global security and governance. Most recently, the United States forcible seizure of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a large-scale strike has further escalated regional tensions and drawn widespread international condemnation as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and international law.

Against the backdrop of widening deficits in peace, development, security and global governance, China's proposed initiatives, including the Global Governance Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, offer a framework to promote dialogue, multilateral cooperation, and respect for the core principles of the United Nations Charter, experts said.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the US and other Western countries have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia while simultaneously seeking to apply diplomatic pressure, including the new US administration's efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

However, these efforts have failed to deliver the intended outcomes, said Wan Qingsong, an associate research professor at the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University in Shanghai.

"For US President Donald Trump, the move appears to be a calculated final push ahead of the midterm elections, aimed at delivering on his campaign pledge to 'resolve the Ukraine crisis'. However, recent opinion polls have shown that only about one-third of surveyed American citizens approve of Trump's peace plan," he said.

The resolution of the Ukraine crisis has entered a new critical juncture. Addressing this complex international challenge, which involves domestic political dynamics, the reshaping of the regional and global order, and relations among major powers, cannot rely solely on Trump's peace plan. It requires the concerted efforts of the international community committed to peace, Wan said.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has reached a critical juncture, fueling concerns that it could escalate into a broader European confrontation. What began as a regional dispute has now evolved into a serious challenge to peace and stability across the continent, said Zamir Ahmed Awan, founding chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Pakistan.

Moreover, US policy in the Middle East has further aggravated regional instability and deepened the humanitarian crisis, he said.

"The US claims of supporting a 'rules-based international order' ring hollow when it actively undermines those very rules to serve its own interests. It is time for Washington to move beyond rhetoric about peace and demonstrate it through concrete actions," Awan added.

To cope with these ongoing crises, China has consistently upheld that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter observed, the legitimate security concerns of all parties taken seriously, and all efforts conducive to peace supported, he said.

"From this perspective, China's initiatives offer not only constructive pathways for addressing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but also potential solutions to other protracted conflicts worldwide," Awan said.

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, chief executive officer of Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development, said that the Ukraine crisis has revealed that the so-called rules-based order has eroded, that hegemonic ambitions are resurfacing, and that a Cold War mindset is reemerging.

At present, the global governance system remains dominated by a small number of Western countries that exploit others, while Cold War mentalities, hegemonism and protectionism continue to persist, he added.

Therefore, resolving major global conflicts requires addressing the deeper challenges embedded in the global order and the global governance system, Ramay said.

"The GSI and GGI launched by China offer constructive support. Those initiatives seek to build a fair international order in which all countries have a voice and share in the benefits of development. The five key principles of the GGI: respecting sovereign equality, upholding international rule of law, practicing genuine multilateralism, advocating a people-centered approach, and emphasizing concrete actions, provide a pathway to help reverse these crises," he said.

Moreover, countries in the Global South should strengthen coordination, make full use of multilateral platforms such as the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, amplify their collective voice, and work together to contribute wisdom and solutions to regional and global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ramay added.

AGENCIES CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY.