Global Development Initiative praised by officials from home and abroad

As sustainable development is facing headwinds, officials from home and abroad said China-proposed Global Development Initiative has injected new energies to the common progress and high-quality development.

They made the comments on Saturday at a dialogue meeting on the GDI held in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian province, attended by nearly 150 representatives from over 30 countries and international organizations.

Stephen Kargbo, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization representative to China, said the role of the GDI in promoting global development has become increasingly important as it emphasizes innovation, inclusiveness and sustainable development.

The GDI has helped mobilize resources, establish cooperation mechanisms and advance practical cooperation, he said, adding that great progress made in fields including poverty reduction, food security and health demonstrated China's determination and ability to contribute to global well-being and common prosperity.

At the just-concluded 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China announced it would work with Africa to take 10 partnership actions, and would implement 1,000 "small and beautiful" livelihood projects, which were lauded by Kargbo to be positive and help set a model of GDI cooperation.

"China has always been the UNIDO's key cooperative partner," Kargbo said, adding that the organization would continue to actively respond to the dialogue mechanisms of GDI.

Wilmot Reeves, deputy minister of Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Liberia, hailed the GDI for "providing a powerful framework for countries to achieve the goals of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and "contributing to creating a more equitable and prosperous world for all."

As a raft of elements such as the pandemic and geopolitical tensions challenged the accomplishment of the sustainable development goals, Reeves highlighted countries needed to strengthen collaboration and establish global partnership.

"Under the framework of the GDI, we can make efforts to utilize our collective resources and expertise to drive structural and economic transformation, and to achieve more inclusive development," he said.

He also called for greater investments in key areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure to promote the GDI to achieve substantial progress.

"The GDI is a great initiative and charts a new blueprint for global development. It not only attaches importance to development, but also emphasizes balanced and harmonious development among all countries," said Cameroon Minister of Commerce Magloire Mbarga Atangana, calling on more countries to join in the GDI to facilitate the achievement of SDGs.

"Many countries have joined in the GDI, which fully shows its value," said Serbia's Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic.

She hailed cooperation between the two countries based on mutual benefit and respect.

"Today, Serbia is the main window for promoting Chinese expertise and knowledge in Europe. At the same time, my country is also a main platform for Chinese companies to make inroads into markets such as Europe."

Zhao Fengtao, vice-chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency, called on upgrading development cooperation by accelerating development of new quality productive forces.

China last year established a global project pool and raised a special development fund to support the GDI. According to Zhao, to date, the pool includes over 1,000 projects, with projects in progress account for over ＄4 billion.