By WANG LEI

NOWADAYS, the world is at a crucial period of readjustment and major changes. The reform of global governance system and the international order have been accelerated. The instability and uncertainty of human society have been highlighted. Geopolitical conflicts have led to turmoil in several regions, and non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, climate change, and major contagious diseases continue to spread.

Today, humankind is faced with many challenges; the issue concerning the direction the international community is going in draws attention. Under this background, the role of major countries is particularly crucial. The international community calls for a leading force that advocates fairness and justice, promotes win-win cooperation, defends progress, unity, and common understanding. At this crossroads, humankind urgently needs to find ways to overcome the law of jungle, surpass confrontation, oppose estrangement, and advocate the whole world as one community.

Contributing Chinese Wisdom

“The whole world as one community,” this is a firm commitment and a strategic choice made by China, which is increasingly approaching the center of the world stage. “Building a harmonious world among people of various countries,” this is the Chinese wisdom that inherits the fine traditions of Chinese culture and reflects the universal aspirations of all human beings. It has outlined a beautiful blueprint for the development of the world and the future of humanity.

The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind is the result of historical development. In March 2013, for the first time, the concept was formally put forward to the world by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Since then, President Xi has explained this innovative thinking to the world in more than 100 momentous occasions, from the China-Africa Cooperation Forum to the Boao Forum for Asia, from Hangzhou G20 Summit to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, from the UN headquarters in New York to the Palace of Nations in Geneva.

The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind is not hollow diplomatic language, but a program of action and a guideline for China to actively promote major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in a new era.

The concept has become a high-frequency term of China’s diplomacy. Its connotation, framework, and scope have also been gradually developed and improved. On October 18, 2017, President Xi proclaimed in the report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC): “China champions the development of a community with a shared future for mankind, and has encouraged the evolution of the global governance system… China has made great new contributions to global peace and development…and create a bright tomorrow for all of us.” Besides, “work to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and advance the building of a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity” has been written into the CPC constitution.

In his keynote speech at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting on December 1, 2017, President Xi elaborated the concept comprehensively and systematically, and put forward a Chinese proposal based on two questions – to build a what kind of world and how to build this world, and called on all humankind to work together to build a better world.

Rich Practices of China’s Diplomacy

The concept is not a castle in the air. Instead, it is firmly rooted in profound and excellent humanistic cultural thoughts and rich practices and innovations in China’s diplomacy.

The concept is based on outstanding cultural thoughts both at home and abroad and the universal value of humankind. It is based on the ideas of the community embodied in the fine traditional culture of China, such as coexistence, mutualism, harmony, and the common good, which give expression to the common values of humankind, including peace, development, justice, democracy, and freedom. The concept reflects the universal aspirations of all people of the world. Therefore, it can create broad and strong resonance in the international community and among people of all countries, becoming a powerful positive energy for promoting international coordination and cooperation.

On February 25, 2018, the main structure of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Headquarters in the central area of Beijing Olympic Park is completed and expected to be delivered before the end of 2019.

The concept keeps a foothold on the rich practice of China’s diplomacy, and marks a new phase of innovative thinking in China’s diplomacy. Striving for the cause of human progress, the CPC has always regarded it as its mission to make new and greater contributions to humankind. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the country has proposed and firmly pursued the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, taken the path of peaceful development, promoted the construction of a more just and rational new international political and economic order, as well as been committed to building a world of peace, harmony, and security.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, President Xi has been actively promoting the innovation of China’s diplomatic thinking and practices, actively participating in the improvement and constructive reform of the global governance system, and promoting the building of a new type of major-country relations. Notable achievements have been made in neighborhood diplomacy, major diplomatic events China hosted, and relations with other developing countries, with a series of innovative new ideas and concepts proposed, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the concept of comprehensive security, the idea of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests, and the overture of a new type of globalization. The idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind is the core and essence of President Xi’s diplomatic thinking. It is the continuity of China’s diplomatic thinking and also the latest practice and development of China’s diplomacy.

Promoting Win-win Cooperation

The concept is not hollow diplomatic language, but a program of action and a guideline for China in actively promoting major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in a new era.

China’s aspiration to promote the community with a shared future is sincere. In the new era, China continues to uphold the theme of the times of peace and development and advocate peace, development, and win-win cooperation. It does so through solid and concrete actions and practices to promote and lead the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and will continue to contribute to lasting peace and stability of the world, common development and prosperity, and exchanges and mutual understanding of civilizations.

WANG LEI is an associate professor at the School of Government of Beijing Normal University and head of its BRICS Cooperation Center.  

In the process of building a community with a shared future for mankind with all countries and peoples in the world, China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a vindicator of international order. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a major country that is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs, China upholds the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and is the backbone of world peace and stability. As the largest developing country in the world, China has broadened the path for developing countries to modernization through its continuous development of socialist theory, system, and culture with Chinese characteristics. China’s wisdom and solutions have offered brand new choices for countries and peoples in the world who hope to accelerate their development and also wish to maintain their independence. 

China welcomes all countries in the world, especially developing countries, to aboard the express train of China’s development, and actively promotes international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative to build a new type of global platform for international cooperation. China promised to increase assistance to other developing countries, especially the least developed ones, to narrow the North-South development gap. China’s advocacy of building a new type of international relations and continuous and steady promotion of the practice of building socialism with Chinese characteristics have become theoretical and practical support for China and other countries and peoples in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

President Xi pointed out at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting that the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind has gained increasing support and approval worldwide. It is being transformed from ideas into actions. In the process of building this community, China will actively lead the trend of the times and the progress of human civilization and make significant new contributions to world peace and development, which will further enhance China’s international influence and charisma.

With great progress made in building a community with a shared future for mankind, a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful China will emerge in a beautiful world that has enduring peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness, and inclusiveness.