Leading by example

陈小将

China has consistently advocated collective safeguarding of the UN's authority and its role as a cornerstone of global governance, maintaining that the international system centered on the world body should be strengthened, not weakened.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the world's largest developing country, China has consistently positioned itself as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order and a provider of global public goods.

The country is the largest contributor of peacekeeping personnel among the Security Council's permanent members, and is also the second-largest contributor to both the UN regular budget and UN peacekeeping assessments.

Volkan Bozkir, president of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly and former chief foreign policy adviser to the president of Turkiye, said that China has long played a central role within the UN system and other post-World War II multilateral institutions. He described China as often acting like a "referee in difficult situations", exercising prudence and caution when making major decisions.

At a time when governance has become a defining global issue, Bozkir noted that China is "one of the countries we can look to" for examples of effective governance, adding that China plays a significant role in both global governance and the global economy.

During the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, China announced that it would no longer seek new special and differential treatment in ongoing or future negotiations at the World Trade Organization.

Lan Qingxin, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said that China's confidence in voluntarily assuming greater international responsibilities stems from its remarkable economic achievements since the launch of reform and opening-up.

Lan noted that the policy statement demonstrates China's firm commitment to upholding the multilateral trading system and advancing the GGI. The move will inject fresh momentum into global trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, while delivering positive impetus for reforming the global economic governance architecture, he added.

Ding Yifan, a senior fellow at the Institute of Global Governance and Development at Renmin University of China, said the four global initiatives were introduced at different times but are organically connected, reflecting the complexity of today's global landscape.

China's renewed emphasis on global governance at the SCO Summit in September reflects the reality that the postwar governance structure — centered around the UN — can no longer fully accommodate the profound geopolitical and economic shifts unfolding worldwide, Ding said.

He noted that China's approach involves both reforming existing mechanisms and developing complementary new frameworks. These efforts include the establishment of the SCO, the creation of the New Development Bank by BRICS countries, and China's proposal for the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Such institutions have injected new momentum into the Global South and emerging economies, becoming an integral part of the global governance architecture China advocates, Ding added.

Former Bhutanese prime minister Jigmi Thinley underscored China's growing importance on the global stage, particularly in amplifying the voice of the Global South in global governance. He described China's development experience as "exemplary for developing countries", noting that its transformation from a poor nation to its current level of development has been "amazing".

Thinley highlighted China's achievement in lifting around 800 million people out of abject poverty as an example of "good leadership and good governance". He said that China's approach shows how domestic policy successes can translate into constructive contributions to global governance.

"Good governance is a system that serves the interests of the people,"Thinley said, adding that China's internal accountability mechanisms provide valuable lessons for other developing countries participating in initiatives such as the GGI.