AS China approaches the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China and the goal of rejuvenation of the motherland, its confidence and diplomatic footprint is increasing around the world. The third consecutive presidential term of Xi Jinping is indicative of not only the confidence of the nation in his visionary leadership but also the economic and strategic direction of the country for the foreseeable future. This determination has been displayed by the leadership at all recent international gatherings and important internal occasions.
Despite the ever mounting pressure from the U.S.A. and its allies to retard the economic, technological, military and political rise of China by imposing sanctions and building new security and economic alliances, China is steadfastly moving towards its cherished goal of achieving growth and development for its people. In this quest, China has consistently advocated multilateralism, cooperation, dialogue and sustainable development for the shared future of mankind.
China for the last 73 years has defined its diplomacy on the hypothesis that the country’s sovereign and independent action would deal with all international issues, without allowing itself to be subjugated to any interest other than its own people. Another essential foundation of its diplomacy has been the fight against hegemony and the importance of maintaining world peace.
China was determined not to join any military bloc or participating in an arms race right from the early days of the establishment of the People’s Republic of and abided by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual nonaggression, noninterference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
These principles were first put forward by then Premier Zhou Enlai in 1953 and were meant to maintain friendly ties between states. Over the past 70 years, these Principles have transcended time and space, overcome estrangement, showing robust resilience and everlasting relevance. They have become open, inclusive, and universally applicable basic norms for international relations and fundamental principles of international law.
The principles were borne of post-colonial solidarity and originally represented a vision of international relations that was highly principled. Chinese leaders embraced these principles both for their moral weight and strategic flexibility. In 1949 Chairman Mao declared that China had “stood up” after a century of humiliation. For China to carve a niche in international relations, the country needed to base its foreign policy around a set of values that would embody its principled independence in world affairs. Panchsheela provided these principles and is now closely aligned with the Chinese philosophy of peaceful rise and win-win cooperation.
At the 70th anniversary of Panchseela in June President Xi reminded the world that to realize the common ideals enshrined in the UN Charter, the Chinese leaders had put forward the five principles of peaceful coexistence. Panchsheela provides the essential guidelines for creating a congenial international environment necessary for the socio-economic development of the world. Adherence to these principles is crucial and urgent as the international community attempts to create a new world order. China, belying conventional wisdom in the history of international relations, has risen to global preponderance peacefully, attempting not to create any major upheavals in the existing order.
The five principles of peaceful coexistence embody the spirit of the Charter and have forged the basic norms of international relations that countries, large or small, strong or weak, whether coming from the East or the West, should treat each other with mutual respect and equality. These principles also constitute an important intellectual basis for making the international order more just and equitable. Any international order based on exceptionalism, bloc politics, hegemonic ideologies, and exploitation of the underdeveloped South by the developed north must be challenged in favour of a just world order based on the Spirit of the UN Charter and the established international law.
At the 70th anniversary President Xi stressed that the past 70 years had proved the effectiveness of meeting challenges together for a better future and enhancing unity, cooperation, communication and understanding. According to Xi, of all the forces in the world, the Global South stands out with a strong momentum, playing a vital role in promoting human progress and standing at a new historical starting point. The Global South should therefore, be more open and more inclusive, and join hands together to take the lead in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
To better support Global South cooperation, China has established a Global South research center and will provide 1,000 scholarships under the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Scholarship of Excellence and 100,000 training opportunities to Global South countries in the coming five years. It will also launch a Global South youth leaders program. China will continue to make good use of the China-UN Peace and Development Fund, the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and the Climate Change South-South Cooperation Fund, and will work with interested parties to set up a tripartite center of excellence for the implementation of the Global Development Initiative to facilitate growth in Global South countries.
China also announced the China-IFAD South-South and Triangular Cooperation Facility and made an additional contribution equivalent to US$10 million to be used to support agricultural development of the Global South. China has always displayed its readiness to discuss free trade arrangements with more Global South countries, continue to support the WTO’s Aid for Trade initiative, and renew its contribution to the WTO’s China Program. It welcomes more Global South countries to join the Initiative on International Trade and Economic Cooperation Framework for Digital Economy and Green Development. To support its vision of a peaceful and developed world, China has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), providing Chinese solutions for improving global governance and addressing human development challenges.
Presently, international politics is increasingly defined by bloc politics, anti-globalization headwinds and fragmented international governance. Humanity is once again faced with the historical and existential choices. President Xi’s proposal of building a community with a shared future for mankind was put forward with the aim of carrying forward the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the five principles of peaceful coexistence under the new circumstances.
Addressing the SCO Plus Head of State Summit in Astana this month, President Xi reiterated his call for building a just, democratic, and sustainable international order to cope with major transformation and changes of historical significance across the world. He warned that as a result of new scientific and technological revolution the human civilization was marching forward in big strides and so were the factors of insecurity, instability and uncertainty evidently increasing.
In the context of SCO Plus Summit, China stressed the importance of upholding the SCO Spirit and to stay on the development paths that suit the respective national conditions and regional realities. Giving a strong and unambiguous message Xi proposed that;
First, build a common home of solidarity and mutual trust. The Shanghai Spirit is consistent with the essence of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and must be upheld. Respect the development path of respective countries and support each other in safeguarding core interests.
Second, Security is a prerequisite for national development. Irrespective of how the international landscape changes, SCO must hold the bottom line of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. Real security is premised on the security of all countries.Afghanistan is indispensable for the security in the region. Use the mechanism of coordination and cooperation among Afghanistan’s neighbors and other platforms to increase humanitarian support to Afghanistan, and encourage Afghanistan to establish a broad-based and inclusive political structure and embark on a path of peace and reconstruction.
Third, build a common home of prosperity and development. Modernization is the shared goal of all countries in the SCO. China proposed that 2025 be designated as the SCO Year of Sustainable Development so as to help SCO focus on fostering new forces for growth.
Fourth, build a common home of good-neighborliness and friendship. Dialogue among civilizations is ever more important for world peace and harmony. China is ready to provide quality platforms for countries in the SCO to engage in such dialogues.
Fifth, build a common home of fairness and justice. The current SCO Summit has issued the Astana Declaration, the SCO initiative on world unity for justice, harmony and development, and the statement on the principles of good-neighborliness, trust and partnership. It is a strong message of the new era, one that calls for solidarity, cooperation and justice rather than division, confrontation, and hegemonism.
Sixth, jointly advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, practice true multilateralism, and make global governance more just and equitable. The SCO should make its important contribution to eliminating the deficits in peace, development, security and governance.
Another important event this month was the holding of the Second GDI Forum in Beijing from 11 to 13 July 2024 that conveyed the message that China will leverage its experience of modernization and promote the building of a global community with shared development. Since the Global Development Initiative (GDI) was proposed nearly three years ago, its cooperation mechanism has been continuously strengthened with fruitful results, garnering widespread acclaim and active participation from the international community. China reiterated its commitment to continuing to enrich financing channels, innovate cooperation models, strengthen capacity building, expand partnership networks, coordinate actions with all parties, and make persistent efforts to generate vigorous momentum for sustainable development.
The GDI asks the global community to ‘refocus’ on development, ‘recommit’ to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ‘reinvigorate’ global partnerships and ‘reactivate’ international development cooperation. Like Truman’s initiative, the GDI is vague and emphasizes working through the United Nations. It also promises to be a worldwide effort based not on monetary largess but on cooperation and knowledge sharing.
The GDI does not supplant China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is essentially a rebranding of China’s globalization, focusing on policy coordination, regional connectivity, trade, financial integration and people-to-people ties as routes to common prosperity.
China has framed its role and responsibility in the GDI as that of a developing country working in solidarity with other Global South countries. The GDI is linked to earlier Chinese initiatives like the US$3.1 billion South-South Climate Cooperation Fund and the further US$1 billion committed when it upgraded to the Global Development and South–South Cooperation Assistance Fund. The GDI reflects China’s support for and insistence on the concept of common but differentiated responsibilities — the idea that all countries have responsibilities for building a better world, but wealthier countries should bear more of the burden.
Vigorously promoting the implementation of the GDI by China comes at the right time with a promising prospect that China will anchor the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focus on the actual needs of the people of all countries, deepen Global South cooperation, and strengthen the alignment of development strategies among all parties.
The conference, themed “Promoting Sustainable Development: Continuous Action for a Better Future,” was hosted by the National Development and International Cooperation Agency. Representatives from more than 110 countries, international organizations and other institutions participated in the conference online and offline. The participants recognized the GDI’s capability to meet the needs of different parties, and to serve as an important public good for the whole world.China plays a crucial role in developing solutions for global challenges and creating a more equitable and sustainable world.
The cooperation mechanisms of the Global Development Initiative are being continuously improved. Till date, more than 160 countries have joined the GDI support group. Over 80 countries, regions, and international organizations have collaborated to form a promotion network for the GDI. More than 40 countries and international institutions have signed cooperation MoUs with China as GDI provides a new model that better suits Global South.
CIDCA Chairman informed that ever since President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative in 2021, China has forged international consensus on development and fostered new drivers for global growth. It has worked closely with other Group members to enhance the synergy between the GDI and the 2030 Agenda, and make sure that countries can truly benefit from the fruitful cooperation of the Initiative. The 32 major initiatives announced by President Xi in 2022 at the High-level Dialogue on Global Development are currently being advanced across the board through GDI mechanisms.
Under the GDI, China has brought tangible benefits to developing countries’ economic and societal development on the basis of mutual respect, which are showcased not only in funding, creating job opportunities, and alleviating poverty, but also in upgrading their industries and addressing climate change.During last year’s high-level conference, China announced the establishment of a global project pool and raised a special development fund to support it. To date, the pool includes over 1,000 projects, with more than 500 projects completed or underway. China announced that it will continue to expand the pool and increase its funding, prioritizing “small and beautiful” livelihood projects.
The Global Development Promotion Center under the GDI framework and the Secretariat of its Network have been established in Beijing, which will provide strong support for the exchange of ideas, alignment of planning, and coordination of resources for development cooperation. China believes that on the journey of global development, we must ensure that no country and no one is left behind, and we must make it our consistent pursuit to meet people’s aspirations for a better life.
The global implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is falling far short of expectations. Countries, especially developing countries, are facing mounting challenges and risks of losing their hard-won growth over the years.The international community must uphold true multilateralism, put development at the core of the UN agenda and the Summit of the Future, continue the positive momentum from last year’s SDG Summit, and together map out the way forward for common development.
The alignment of the GDI with the UN’s SDGs and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also allows China to reference low-income countries’ long-standing grievances about an inequitable and unbalanced global economy. Though mild, China’s rhetoric echoes some of the 1974 UN Declaration on a New International Economic Order, which included a set of proposals to end economic colonialism and dependency.
The GDI promises a fresh perspective on global development, especially for Asia, and its principles and aspirations are encouraging. Yet a true measure of the GDI’s effectiveness will lie in its practical elements. This includes its capacity to align China with partner nations without overshadowing them and its adaptability within the broader geopolitical landscape.
Central to the GDI is the blend of shared and sustainable development. The former emphasizes people-centricity and inclusiveness, while the latter values innovation and harmony with nature. This dual focus on a people-centric approach, coupled with a robust commitment to environmental stewardship, presents a forward-thinking vision. But operational challenges are inevitable. The task of ensuring fairness and inclusiveness, while also responding to global goals and challenges, will be pivotal for the initiative’s success.
—The writer is former Ambassador, based in Islamabad.
