BEIJING: China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Miao Deyu on Tuesday shared a report on true multilateralism: conceptual development, core essence and China’s practice at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
He said that at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021, President Xi Jinping unequivocally advocated for “true multilateralism” in his keynote speech. He noted that global governance should reflect the evolving political and economic landscape in the world, conform to the historical trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation, and meet the practical needs in addressing global challenges.
“Since then, this important concept has won increasing support from the international community, and effectively boosted global solidarity and cooperation, demonstrating its invaluable relevance to our times and significant practical implications. The release of the research report titled True Multilateralism: Conceptual Development, Core Essence and China’s Practice is most timely,” he said.
Miao said it provides a thorough synthesis and detailed examination of the intrinsic meaning and practical implementation of this significant concept, and serves as a valuable reference and guide for us to continue embracing and putting this vision into action.
“Upholding true multilateralism means upholding the authority and status of the United Nations, and safeguarding the institutional underpinning for global peace and development. There is only one system in our world—the international system with the U.N. at its core; there is only one order—the international order underpinned by international law; and there is only one set of rules—the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter,” he said.
He said the U.N. embodies the aspirations of people worldwide for lasting peace and common prosperity, and serves as the core platform for countries to build universal security and share the fruits of development. Multilateralism cannot be achieved without the U.N. In view of accelerating global transformations and unprecedented challenges and opportunities facing humanity, the authority and central role of the U.N. must be strengthened, not weakened, he observed.
“Upholding true multilateralism means advancing global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and finding the right answers to global challenges. Essentially, multilateralism is about the collective deliberation and management of international affairs, instead of letting might be right. The future of the world should be jointly shaped by all countries, international rules should be collectively written by all countries, global affairs should be managed by all countries, and the fruits of development should be shared by all countries,” he asserted.
He said that as the world faces changes, turbulence and a myriad of global challenges, no country can stay single-handedly unscathed. Only by embracing the spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, mobilizing global resources and coordinating global actions, can we navigate through the tumultuous waves and sail toward a brighter future of human development, he added.
“Upholding true multilateralism means promoting democracy in international relations, and embracing the historical trend of the collective rise of the Global South. The rise of the Global South is a distinct feature of the world’s transformation. In recent years, Global South countries are playing an increasingly important role on the international stage, becoming an indispensable force for good, stability, and progress,” he said.
However, he added, their representation and voice in global governance are not fully reflected. It is necessary to adapt to the changing international circumstances, reform and improve the global governance system based on extensive consultation and consensus-building, promote equal rights, equal opportunities and equal rules for all countries, and work for a more just and equitable international order, he said.
“Upholding true multilateralism means rejecting unilateralism or various forms of “pseudo-multilateralism,” and preventing the world from sliding toward a new Cold War. In today’s interconnected world, any form of unilateralism, protectionism or excessive emphasis on one’s own interest will ultimately hit a dead end,” he added.
“Multilateralism in small coteries is, at its core, a form of bloc politics. We should choose openness and inclusiveness over exclusion and isolationism, choose equality and consultation over arrogance and self-centeredness, choose cooperation and coordination over conflict and confrontation, and choose progress with the times over stagnation and resistance to change. This is the spirit with which we safeguard the core values and fundamental principles of multilateralism,” he observed.
The Minister said China is a strong advocate and a steadfast practitioner of true multilateralism. We always prioritize the future of humanity and the well-being of the people, and align our national interest with the common interests of all nations, contributing China’s strength to the cause of world peace and development, and demonstrating the responsibility of a major country, he added.
“China staunchly supports the U.N. in playing a central role in international affairs. China faithfully fulfills its responsibilities and duties as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, dispatching over 50,000 personnel to U.N. peacekeeping missions, and serving as the second-largest contributor to both U.N.’s regular and peacekeeping budgets.
“China is among the first to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goals and a pacesetter in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, accounting for more than 70 percent of global poverty reduction. China firmly supports U.N.’s main channel role in global governance on new frontiers such as the artificial intelligence. We promoted the adoption of a U.N. General Assembly resolution on enhancing international cooperation on AI capacity-building, and support the establishment of an international AI governance body under the U.N. framework, to ensure equal participation and benefit-sharing by all countries,” he added.
Miao said China firmly safeguards the international rule of law, fairness and justice. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, initiated and jointly championed by China 70 years ago, have become open, inclusive, and universally applicable basic norms for international relations and fundamental principles of international law. China has joined almost all universal intergovernmental organizations and over 600 international conventions and amendments, always fulfilling its treaty obligations in good faith, and exceeding its commitments made upon accession to the WTO.
“We worked for the conclusion of the Paris Agreement and its comprehensive and effective implementation, upholding the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and helping to address developing countries’ concerns about funding, technology, and capacity-building. We stand firmly by the ‘golden rule’ of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, respect other nation’s choice of development paths and systems, and oppose power politics, bullying practices, unilateral sanctions and ‘long-arm jurisdiction’,” he maintained.
He said China actively provides the world with much-needed global public goods. To address the development challenges facing many countries, President Xi Jinping has put forward the initiative of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. The BRI has brought together over 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations in several thousand practical cooperation projects, creating the largest platform for international cooperation with the broadest coverage. In view of the growing deficit in global governance, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), winning wide acclaim and warm response from the international community, he observed.
“Over 100 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI, expressed support to the GSI, or endorsed the six-point common understanding on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis jointly proposed by China and Brazil. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most severe global public health emergency since World War II, China is committed to making its vaccines a global public good, providing tens of billions of masks and 2.3 billion doses of vaccines to countries around the world, and collaborated with more than 20 countries in vaccine production, building a strong defense for the lives and health of people across the world,” he asserted.
Miao said China proactively engages in and leads the reform and improvement of the global governance system. In response to the major issues and challenges facing the world today, President Xi Jinping has called for an equal and orderly multi-polar world, and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and advocated humanity’s common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, pointing the direction and providing inspiration for the international community’s pursuit of lasting stability and shared prosperity, he added.
“China supports continuous reform and development of the U.N., and the growth and strengthening of the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. China is actively engaged in multilateral mechanisms such as the WTO, APEC, and G20, and takes an active part in the global governance and rules-setting for emerging fields. In a spirit of win-win cooperation, China keeps offering new opportunities for the world with the latest achievements in Chinese modernization, and works with all sides to advance global modernization that features peace and development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity, to better serve the interests of people in all countries,” he asserted.
“At the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in December last year, President Xi Jinping solemnly declared that building a community with a shared future for mankind is the noble goal for China’s major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era. In a world of unprecedented changes and ever-emerging global challenges, unity and cooperation is the only right choice, and a shared future is what all must work for”.
He said China is ready to join forces with all parties to continue holding high the torch of multilateralism, advance the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind, replace conflict and confrontation with peace and development, replace absolute security with common security, replace zero-sum game with win-win cooperation, prevent clash of civilizations through mutual learning, protect our planet through green development, and build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity, to jointly open up a better future for mankind, he observed.
