Xi urges a just world of common development, fair global governance amid global crises

RIO DE JANEIRO -- President Xi Jinping on Monday called for a just world of common development and a fair and equitable global governance system, as G20 leaders gathered here to seek solutions to pressing global crises, ranging from hunger and economic instability to climate change.

BUILDING JUST WORLD OF COMMON DEVELOPMENT

While addressing the summit, Xi said that China is ready to work with all parties to build a just world of common development.

He pointed out that transformation of a scale not seen in a century is accelerating across the world today, and humanity faces unprecedented opportunities and challenges.

As leaders of major countries, G20 leaders should not let their vision be blocked by fleeting clouds. Rather, they must see the world as one community with a shared future, and shoulder their responsibility for history, take historical initiative and move history forward, Xi said.

How to address the global challenge of hunger is high on the agenda of this year's G20 summit. According to the UN's State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, 733 million people faced hunger in 2023.

Hunger is the biological expression of social ills, said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the summit. "It is the product of political decisions that perpetuate the exclusion of a large part of humanity."

On Tuesday, the G20 launched the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty to support the implementation of country-led, country-owned programs aiming at reducing hunger and poverty worldwide, contributing to revitalizing global partnerships for sustainable development, according to the G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders' Declaration.

"Poverty alleviation has always been a priority and a major task I am determined to deliver," Xi said while addressing the summit.

Always concerned about impoverished regions and families in straitened circumstances, Xi has directed the country's battle against poverty in person. Under his leadership, China launched a monumental anti-poverty campaign.

In 2021, China declared a "complete victory" in eradicating absolute poverty. "We have lifted 800 million people out of poverty, and met the poverty reduction target of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ahead of schedule," Xi told the summit.

China's story is proof that developing countries can eliminate poverty, that a weaker bird can start early and fly high, when there is the endurance, perseverance, and striving spirit that enables water drops to penetrate rocks over time and turns blueprints into reality, he said.

Xi stressed that China will always be a member of the Global South, a reliable long-term partner of fellow developing countries, and a doer and go-getter working for the cause of global development. China will go hand in hand with fellow developing countries toward modernization, he said.

"China is sharing its development experience with other countries through its development initiatives which have helped to promote common development," said Straton Habyarimana, Rwandan economic analyst.

FAIR, EQUITABLE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE SYSTEM

During Session II of the 19th G20 Summit on Reform of the Institutions of Global Governance, Xi called for a fair and equitable global governance system.

Noting that it has been 16 years since the G20 Summit was launched, Xi said that proceeding from a new starting point, the G20 needs to build on its past achievements and continue to act as a force to improve global governance and move history forward.

G20 members should keep in mind that mankind lives in a community with a shared future, see each other's development as opportunities rather than challenges, and view each other as partners rather than rivals, Xi said at the summit. He called for building a world economy characterized by cooperation, stability, openness, innovation and eco-friendliness.

Xi's call resonated with the shared vision of G20 members. According to the G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders' Declaration, G20 leaders reaffirmed their strong commitment to multilateralism and pledged to reform the global governance system.

"We need to better equip the world with a reformed global governance," said the G20 leaders in the declaration, noting that the challenges the global community faces today can only be addressed through multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow and the strengthening of global governance for both present and future generations.

Xi's emphasis on improving global governance also earned praise from experts, who highlighted China's longstanding advocacy for a more just and equitable global order.

China plays an essential role within the G20 in pushing for a more just and equitable world order, said Ali Oguz Dirioz, an associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University.

"China is a very big economy and is also promoting more equitable global governance, therefore its role in this group is significant for other members," said the Turkish expert.

The G20 comprises 19 countries across five continents, along with the European Union and the recently admitted the African Union (AU). This year's summit marks the first gathering since the AU's inclusion.

China was the main proponent advocating for the AU's full membership in the G20, said Keith Bennett, an international relations consultant based in London, noting that the move has strengthened the group's representation.

"China is at the forefront of promoting the representation and voice of developing countries in the international governance system," Bennett told Xinhua.

Climate change is also a key issue on the summit agenda. In the summit's declaration, G20 leaders emphasized the group's leadership role and its commitment to tackling climate change by strengthening the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.

In his remarks, while highlighting the need for the G20 to improve global ecological governance and build a world economy characterized by eco-friendliness as part of his five-point proposal to improve global governance, Xi said that China stands ready to continue to deepen international cooperation with all sides on green infrastructure, green energy, green mining and green transport, and will provide support to developing countries to the best of its ability.

As a summit observer, John Kirton, co-author of Reconfiguring the Global Governance of Climate Change, said he still remembers what President Xi said at the G20 Hangzhou Summit: Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.

"The message is clear: it's not about the money; put the natural environment and ecology first," he said. "It is a very impressive approach for all G20 members to follow and to come together to build a common future for mankind."