Maintaining multilateralism is top priority for good global governance

UPHOLDING MULTILATERALISM remains a top priority for strengthening and improving global governance, and at a time of rising unilateralism and growing risks of confrontation, countries should rally to oppose these headwinds. Zhong Sheng, a columnist for People's Daily, comments:

From a special dialogue on strengthening multilateralism conducted by eight new and old presidents of the United Nations General Assembly to the Munich security conference that advocated international cooperation and multilateralism, from the calls of six European leaders at the Helsinki summit for multilateralism on global issues to the joint declaration issued by China and France on maintaining multilateralism and improving global governance, and to the proposal made by France and Germany on establishing a "Union of Multilateralism", the international society is coming together to stand against the unilateralism of the United States. These words and deeds have sent a clear signal that multilateralism remains the cornerstone of the existing international order and the world needs multilateralism more than ever.

"Strengthening multilateralism is not an option, it is an obligation", President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa said after her election. Indeed, multilateralism is an inevitable requirement for addressing global challenges and the only way to best serve the interests of all peoples. Upholding multilateralism is not a question of whether we want it or not, but how we should do it. Willfully going down the road of unilateralism is against the historical trend and will lead nowhere.