As the core tenet of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind is the key to understanding China’s diplomacy and how China sees the common future of humanity.
First, the goal of this vision is to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity. Building a world of lasting peace means beating the swords of war into the plowshares of peace. Building a world of universal security means pursuing not absolute security for one but common security for all. Building a world of shared prosperity means bidding farewell to the winner-takes-all mindset and sharing development achievements. Building an open and inclusive world means dropping the mindset that one civilization is superior to another and starting to appreciate the strengths of other civilizations. Building a clean and beautiful world means stopping destructive exploitation of resources and preserving and sustaining lush mountains and lucid waters.
China has played a constructive role in the settlement of global and regional hotspot issues, and contributed over 30 percent of global growth for years in a row. It is a main trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions. China accounted for a quarter of the world’s newly added green areas over the past 20 years. These are concrete actions by China for the goal of building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity.
Second, the pathway to the goal is promoting global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit. To be more specific, it means global affairs must be discussed by all, governance systems built by all, and benefits of governance shared by all.
China calls for an equal and orderly multipolar world and an open and inclusive economic globalization. China has put forward ideas that facilitated the completion of the quota and governance reforms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and has been instrumental in the conclusion and accelerated implementation of the Paris Agreement. All these efforts reflect China’s sense of responsibility as a major country.
Third, the guiding principle is to apply the common values of humanity. These common values transcend differences in ideology, social system and level of development, and embody the broadest common expectations of people of all countries for a better life. Peace is the ever-lasting wish of the people. Development is the top priority of all countries. Fairness and justice are the cornerstone of the international order and the moral underpinnings of international relations. Democracy is an abiding ideal of mankind. Freedom requires the all-round development of people.
From sending medical teams to other countries to sharing poverty alleviation experience with the rest of the world, from supporting the “Great Green Wall” initiative in Africa to actively participating in global governance in response to climate change, from respecting all countries’ independent choice of their development path to appreciating civilizational diversity in the world, China’s actions have strengthened the force for peace and promoted common development.
Fourth, the basic underpinning lies in building a new type of international relations. The new type of international relations centers on win-win cooperation and emphasizes mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation. It has its roots in traditional Chinese culture, such as the notion that peace is more precious than anything else.
During the Munich Security Conference this year, China’s foreign minister said that lose-lose is not a rational choice, and win-win is the future of mankind. Yet U.S. Secretary of State claimed, “If you’re not at the table in the international system, you’re going to be on the menu.” Which philosophy can bring about a better future? Members of the international community have the answer in mind.
Fifth, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative are strategies that drive the endeavor. The three initiatives revolve around the overarching vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and provide clear action plans for tackling major challenges of the world concerning development, security and civilization.
China is making full efforts to invigorate the global implementation of the United Nations (U.N.) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, uphold world peace and add to global responses to security challenges. China is promoting the development of a global network for intercivilizational dialogue, energizing international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, and working with partners to turn the three initiatives into results on the ground. With these efforts, China continues to fulfill its solemn commitment to building a community with a shared future for mankind and making even greater contributions to world peace and development in the new era.
Sixth, the platform for action is high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a vivid example of building a community with a shared future for mankind and has been well received by the international community both as a public good and a cooperation platform. Coming from China, the BRI produces opportunities and fruits shared by the world.
Under the BRI, assistance programs and cooperation under market principles advance side by side, and large signature projects and small and beautiful programs complement each other. The over 3,000 projects launched under the BRI have galvanized nearly US$1 trillion of investment and created more than 420,000 jobs for partner countries, bringing tangible benefits to their peoples.
This is the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, rich in meaning and clear in message. At the heart, it is about taking the world to a bright future of shared prosperity through systematic efforts.