UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 23 (XINHUA) 

The current international order, established 80 years ago, is now undergoing a major crisis of legitimacy and effectiveness. The challenges the world faces today are not just one-time events; they are signs of a larger problem. This is a reality characterized by significant deficits of peace, development, security, governance, and trust. 

The unilateral actions of the very powers that used to support core international institutions, especially the United Nations (UN), are slowly destroying their authority. This creates a dangerous paradox: As global problems like climate change, pandemics and the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) become increasingly complex, the means for people to collaborate effectively is declining. . The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is not being implemented quickly enough, and there is a lack of governance in key new areas. This lack of legitimacy—the disparity between what the UN Charter states and what some powerful countries do—has made it crucial to establish a framework that can restore faith in multilateralism and collective action. 

This state of affairs creates a cycle of distrust and disenchantment on many levels, from the psychological state of mind of individuals to the foundational tenets of government and international institutions, generating what I call “civilizational anxiety.” 

In this critical juncture of history, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on September 1. This was more than just a diplomatic statement; it was a timely and responsible offer of China’s wisdom and solutions to a world that needs stability and direction. The GGI is a project for change, not to dismantle the current international order; it seeks to improve and revitalize the UN-centered system so that it can effectively address the problems of the 21st century. 

Significance of GGI 

The time and place of the announcement were significant. The GGI was announced at a major multilateral meeting and coincided with the 80th anniversary of the UN’s founding. It was presented as a promise to carry on the organization’s original legacy while moving global governance into a new era. This positioning is essential because it disproves the claim that China intends to establish a parallel system. Official concept papers on the GGI emphasize that its goal is to improve the current system’s performance and responsiveness, particularly in addressing the needs and objectives of the Global South. 

The GGI has been praised at the highest levels. UN Secretary-General António Guterres commended the initiative, stating that it was firmly grounded in multilateralism and would safeguard the international system with the UN at its core. This endorsement firmly refutes criticisms that misrepresent China’s intentions. The GGI’s strategy is based on normative reframing and promoting the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, such as sovereign equality, non-interference, and the rule of law, which other countries have only partially adhered to or ignored. In this way, China is not rejecting the rules-based order; instead, it is positioning itself as its most consistent defender, taking the moral high ground in the debate over the future of global governance. 

The GGI is built upon five transparent and interconnected principles that form a comprehensive blueprint for reforming global governance, with each pillar designed to address a specific deficit in the current international order. Below, I summarize these principles vis-à-vis the global challenges. 

The Global Governance Initiative is not a standalone proposal. This is an important step in China’s long-term, strategic plan to provide the world with a clear picture of how it should be governed. It serves as the overarching operating system that brings together China’s other major global initiatives—the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilizations Initiative (GCI)—into a clear and unified framework. It is worth mentioning the robust Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Green BRI. 

The planned and gradual rollout of these projects indicates that they are part of a larger plan. The Global Development Initiative, launched in 2021, is arguably the most universally appealing and least controversial area: economic development, poverty alleviation and South-South cooperation. The GDI established a solid foundation of trust and partnership by raising billions of dollars and launching hundreds of tangible projects.

Guests at the photo exhibition, titled Embracing a Shared Future: China's Initiatives and Global Contributions, held at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 25, featuring 38 selected photos that illustrate the public goods contributed by China to global governance over the past decades (XINHUA)

China’s initiatives 

In 2022, China built upon this foundation and launched the Global Security Initiative. The GSI presents an alternative security narrative founded on dialogue, consultation, and the principle of  “indivisible security,” asserting that no nation should pursue its own security to the detriment of others. This directly contradicts the notion that military alliances are zero-sum and portrays security as an encompassing task that includes the environmental, economic, and societal dimensions. 

The Global Civilization Initiative provided this new vision with its philosophical foundation in 2023. It supports diversity, equality, and respect for others, and it opposes the notion that there is a single superior model of civilization and the idea that “universal values” should be imposed. As I have been arguing, the GCI is a pluriversal and transcivilizational building project that respects differences and is inherently inclusive. 

The GGI is China’s contribution to the world as a vital public good, providing a constructive, inclusive and action-oriented way out of the dangers of division and conflict. It urges all countries to collaborate in creating a better, fairer, and more effective system of global governance, which ultimately would lead to the creation of a community with a shared future for humanity. This vision goes beyond narrow national interests and cutthroat competition. Instead, it calls for a future of peace, growth, and respect for all. The GGI provides us with a much-needed plan for stability, a source of hope, and a clear path to achieving that shared future in a world that is chaotic and uncertain. 

The author is a professor of International Law, School of Law, Lanzhou University 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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