Beijing Review: The Global Governance Initiative for a Shared Future

BEIJING, Sept. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Only when nations across the world treat each other as equals, live in harmony and mutually support one another can common security be safeguarded, the root cause of war eliminated, and historical tragedies prevented from recurring, said Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 3, at a grand commemorative gathering in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The resistance war (1931-45) is more than a chapter in national memory, it is a cornerstone of the global victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, or World War II (WWII). As the world observes the 80th anniversary of that triumph this year, and with it the founding of the United Nations (UN), commemoration must be seen as more than ceremony. It is a call to remember that the rules, institutions and agreements forged from the ashes of catastrophe were designed with a single purpose: to ensure that such devastation never returns.

The UN was born to write a new page in global governance, and eight decades later, this page is smudged by turbulence and a crisis of confidence. History has taught us that when the international system reaches a crossroads, we must all commit ourselves to peaceful coexistence and cooperation.

China, a country that bore immense wartime suffering, emerged from the ruins with a solemn promise to uphold international order. Over the decades, it has remained true to that promise, assuming greater responsibilities in global peacekeeping, climate action, development cooperation and multilateral diplomacy.

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus meeting in Tianjin on August 31-September 1, President Xi introduced the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), outlining the principles, methods and pathways to reform and improve global governance.

The initiative distills five guiding commitments: adhere to sovereign equality, abide by the international rule of law, practice multilateralism, advocate the people-centered approach and focus on real results.

The GGI also dovetails with earlier China-proposed frameworks such as the Global Development, Global Security and Global Civilizations initiatives, all of which are public goods intended to respond to imbalances in the international order and deficits in global governance.

The SCO meeting where Xi unveiled the GGI also underscored how China envisions the initiative's implementation: through platforms guided by the "Shanghai Spirit" of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for civilizations and common development.

Through the SCO and other platforms, China has shown how multilateral institutions can thrive on consensus, mutual respect and shared benefits. The SCO's expansion to a 26-nation family comprising 10 member states, two observer states and 14 dialogue partners, along with its active role in regional security, economic development and connectivity, exemplifies the type of collaborative governance the GGI seeks to globalize.

Importantly, the GGI is not about replacing the existing international system but about reforming it from within to better serve the global majority, particularly the Global South.

Eighty years ago, the international community came together to end the horrors of war.  Today, it must reunite, not only to address escalating regional conflicts but also to confront shared vulnerabilities and pursue collective aspirations. In leading this call, China is offering direction, rooted in its history, shaped by its development experience and aimed at building a future where global governance serves everyone, not just a select few.

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SOURCE Beijing Review