Principles, proposals and actions aimed at better global governance: China Daily editorial

The State Council Information Office released a white paper on Wednesday titled "More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China's Principles, Proposals and Actions".

The document outlines China's principles, proposals and actions on global governance, aiming to foster broader consensus within the international community, ensure more effective responses to global challenges and build a more just and equitable global governance system.

The world faces severe and complex challenges, along with increasing disruptions to the postwar international order. The two pressing questions of the era are: What kind of global governance system should be established, and how can global governance be reformed and improved?

China has always been an active participant in, contributor to and builder of global governance as it regards it as a common endeavor that bears on the well-being of all humanity.

In promoting a global governance system characterized by extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, President Xi Jinping has called for true multilateralism to foster an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

To this end, he has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and proposed the Global Governance Initiative to build a more just and equitable global governance system.

Resolutely upholding the authority and status of the United Nations is fundamental to the effective implementation of the GGI, which, aligned with the growing trend toward greater democracy in international relations, offers a clear and feasible road map for improving global governance.

That the GGI has the support of nearly 160 countries and international organizations — with over 60 countries joining the Group of Friends of Global Governance — sends a clear signal that building a just and equitable global governance system is a shared vision pursued by the international community.

Anchored in the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and guided by a vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the GGI upholds multilateralism and unites forces in pursuit of a fairer future.

But as the white paper stresses, the effective implementation of the GGI hinges on major countries bearing a sense of responsibility and all nations unitedly addressing the peace and development deficits.

With the declining effectiveness of some international mechanisms and inadequate rules in emerging areas, the fragmentation in global governance is evident. There is a "compound crisis" in which the lack of security, development, governance and trust are intertwined.

On the one hand, the world is experiencing deeper multipolarization and the rapid rise of the Global South. On the other hand, the existing governance system suffers from a lack of representativeness, inclusiveness and effectiveness. This is exacerbated by heightened competition among major countries, obstacles to multilateral cooperation and a decline in international trust.

As the white paper states, there is no need to reinvent the wheel to overcome these challenges. What is needed is for all countries to firmly uphold the international system with the UN at its core, safeguard the international order based on international law and uphold the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

China, on its part, has been consistent in this regard. Noting that China was the first country to sign the UN Charter, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news conference held to present the white paper on Wednesday that the country is ready to work with other countries to reinvigorate and strengthen the UN and uphold the authority of the UN by advancing the GGI. The GGI is action-oriented and aligned with the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Embodying the unity of ideas and actions, the GGI provides important conceptual guidance and practical pathways for steering the global governance system toward greater justice and equity, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to resolving the shortcomings in global governance.