Four Global Initiatives Illuminate the Path Ahead for a Turbulent World

Conceived to address governance challenges in a changing world, the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and Global Governance Initiative (GGI) provide strategic guidance for building a community with a shared future for humanity. They are landmark achievements of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, embodying both contemporary innovation and global influence. The first and second volumes of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Diplomacy include four articles in which President Xi Jinping successively put forward these four initiatives from September 2021, which reflect the stances, viewpoints, and methods of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

The world today is trapped in a predicament of four major deficits that intertwine and compound one another: a peace deficit intensifying geopolitical conflicts, a development deficit widening the North-South divide, a security deficit eroding the foundation of mutual trust, and a governance deficit undermining the effectiveness of multilateralism. Western historians tell us that following the Age of Discovery in the 15th century, Spain, Britain, and the United States each established its global hegemony in turn and shaped the dominant international order of its respective era. Yet whatever order and stability they brought to specific regions in their time, these three hegemonic powers ultimately could not escape the fate dictated by the law of the jungle—where the strong prey on the weak and the powerful bully the powerless—as well as the inevitable cycle of rise and fall. The essence of the Western hegemonic order is “one nation’s security overriding the security of all others,” “one nation’s development depriving other nations of their right to develop,” “one nation’s civilization disparaging the values of diverse civilizations,” and “one nation’s governance replacing global collective governance.” This, in effect, reveals the historical origins of the four deficits.

The tide of world history flows forward; those who align with it flourish, while those who resist it perish. Seeking peace, pursuing development, promoting cooperation, and upholding justice is a shared mission that all countries must undertake amid the momentous changes unseen in a century. The four global initiatives capture the overarching direction of human development and progress, the underlying logic of the tortuous evolution of world history, the prevailing trend toward a shared future for the international community, and the driving force of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, thereby achieving a high degree of unity between the mission of the era and the trend of the times, between national rejuvenation and human wellbeing, and between China’s responsibility and international consensus.

The GDI seeks to address imbalanced global development

Development is an enduring theme of human society and the key to solving all problems. The root cause of the majority of cases of turmoil, conflicts, confrontations, and contradictions in today’s world can be traced to imbalanced development. At its core, the imbalance in global development lies in the fact that the Global South’s development rights and interests are not protected and even suppressed. In September 2021, President Xi proposed the GDI at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Its core tenets are to give priority to development, remain committed to a people-centered approach, uphold the principles of inclusiveness and benefits for all, foster innovation-driven development, pursue harmony between humanity and nature, and stay action-oriented. The initiative clarifies the fundamental question of development: who it is for, who drives it, and who shares its benefits. Grounded in the collective interests of all countries, the GDI responds to humanity’s shared development aspirations and seeks to foster a conducive development environment, strengthen partnerships, cultivate new drivers for global growth, and ensure that the benefits of progress are shared by all nations, thereby steering global development toward a new stage that is balanced, inclusive, and coordinated.

The GSI seeks to address security challenges caused by bloc confrontation

Development requires a stable external environment, and without universal security, there can be no common development. Power politics, hegemony, and bullying have become a global scourge. To preserve their declining hegemony, certain countries have intensified military interventions in other regions and accelerated the formation of coteries. They have constantly provoked bloc confrontation, throwing global development and security into a grave crisis. President Xi proposed the GSI at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in April 2022. Its core concepts and principles are reflected in six aspects: the guiding philosophy of staying committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security; the basic premise of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; the fundamental foundation of abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter; an important principle of taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously; the only viable solution of peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation; and an inherent requirement of maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains. The GSI is committed to replacing confrontation with dialogue, coercion with consultation, alliances with partnerships, and zero-sum competition with win-win cooperation. It aims to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts, improve global security governance, and promote the building of a balanced, effective, and sustainable security architecture, so as to realize universal security and common security.

1. Scene from the Second International Civil Society Solidarity Conference on the Global Development Initiative, September 10, 2025.
2. Members of China’s 11th peacekeeping police contingent to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan take an oath at the send-off ceremony, August 5, 2025.
3. Scene from the forum “Inter-Civilization Exchanges and Mutual Learning: Building an Inclusive World,” part of the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting, July 11, 2025.
4. Scene from the “China and the Global Governance Initiative” seminar, part of the 13th Global Baku Forum held in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, March 13, 2026. XINHUA

The GCI seeks to eliminate the artificial barriers of civilizational confrontation and antagonism

The diversity of civilizations is a basic feature of human society, and exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations are an important driving force for human progress. At present, a number of developing countries have gradually broken free from Western control and regained self-reliance and confidence by steadily advancing modernization with their own distinctive features. In particular, regions that were once centers of ancient human civilizations have made remarkable achievements and taken on a new look. In March 2023, Xi, also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, proposed the GCI at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting, calling for deepening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and promoting the progress of human civilization. The GCI advocates the respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. It emphasizes that no civilization is superior or inferior to another, identifies the common values of humanity as the broadest common ground for dialogue among countries, helps to overcome communication barriers between countries with different civilizations and social systems, and lays a solid intellectual foundation for the harmonious coexistence of civilizations.

The GGI seeks to advance reform of the global governance system

Global governance emerged in response to common international challenges, with the aim of achieving harmonious coexistence, common prosperity, and sustainable development among all countries. Currently, however, the effectiveness, authority, and fairness of the global governance system are being severely undermined by the spread of unilateralism and pseudo-multilateralism, which has also eroded the authority of the United Nations. Meanwhile, the Global South’s representation and influence in global governance remains insufficient. In September 2025, President Xi proposed the GGI at the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus” Meeting. The initiative, with the core concepts of sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and taking real actions, systematically addresses the fundamental questions of who governs, whom it serves, how it should be reformed, and where it should be directed. Upholding the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, the GGI practices true multilateralism and steers the reform of the global governance system, offering a Chinese solution for safeguarding international order and improving global governance.

The four initiatives directly address the real-world challenges arising from profound changes unseen in a century. While each targets one of the four deficits, together they form an integrated whole: development creates shared interests for cooperation, security safeguards an enabling environment for cooperation, civilization builds consensus for cooperation, and governance improves mechanisms for cooperation. In this way, they provide targeted responses to the challenges of our times and possess strong practical relevance. This integrated governance approach represents a historic breakthrough in governance actors, architecture, and paradigms.

The four initiatives constitute a blueprint for global governance proposed and championed by a developing country

The theoretical framework, top-level design, rules, and institutions of global governance have long been dominated by Western developed countries, serving the interests and value orientation of a few. The vast developing countries have long been consigned to a subordinate position—passively accepting rules, severely under-represented, and lacking a voice to articulate their own interests. The four initiatives focus on structural problems, such as the North-South imbalance, security disorder, discord among civilizations, and governance failure. They move beyond the West-dominated theoretical system of global governance and break with the old pattern in which the West dominates and the rest of the world follows.

The four initiatives build a systematic global governance framework across the four dimensions of development, security, civilization, and governance

Since World War II, both Western-led international initiatives and regional governance architectures have tended to be fragmented in agenda, compartmentalized in domains, and superficial in their approach to governance. They have therefore proved unable to address complex crises in which multiple deficits overlap and reinforce one another. The four global initiatives rectify the drawbacks of traditional governance characterized by power balancing over cooperation, immediate concerns over long-term interests, individual parts over the whole, and reactive responses over root-cause solutions. They integrate development, security, civilization, and governance into an organic whole that provides comprehensive coverage, generates synergy, and addresses both symptoms and root causes. This marks a historic leap in global governance from piecemeal measures and reactive responses to systematic solutions and addressing issues at source.

The four initiatives chart a new paradigm for state-to-state relations that rejects zero-sum games

A review of the history of modern and contemporary international relations shows that whether in the balance-of-power contests among European countries, the bipolar confrontation of the US-Soviet rivalry, or the frequent international conflicts of recent years, international relations have never escaped the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak. Hegemonism and power politics have emerged time and again, inflicting endless wars and conflicts on humanity. The four initiatives follow the historical trend of humanity moving from confrontation toward cooperation, from division toward unity, and from isolation toward openness. They do not target any third party, or form a coterie, or attach any political strings. Instead, they seek to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, build consensus through practical cooperation, and achieve win-win outcomes through joint contribution and shared benefits. The four initiatives have reshaped the underlying logic of state-to-state relations, making an important contribution to upholding international fairness and justice and to building a new type of international relations.

The systematic implementation of the four initiatives ultimately serves the grand goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity

Where is humanity headed? In response to this major question, President Xi has given the answer of our times: jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity. It is the overarching goal and broad vision, while the four global initiatives provide the blueprint and roadmap for its realization. Specifically, the GDI is the fundamental prerequisite, addressing the fundamental issue of the material foundations; the GSI provides a firm safeguard, reinforcing the foundations for peace and stability; the GCI serves as a bond, fostering the basic consensus for people-to-people connectivity; and the GGI provides institutional underpinning, improving long-term mechanisms for extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits. The four initiatives are not separate policy pronouncements; they are embedded in the overarching vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity. From the macro vision to meso framework to micro measures, they form a tightly knit system that progresses level by level and interlocks link by link. Tested in practice and proven in action, this system is demonstrating ever greater vitality.

Over the years, China has remained action-oriented, building consensus through inclusivity and advancing implementation through cooperation. The four initiatives have delivered a wealth of visible and tangible outcomes. The GDI has received positive responses and support from more than 130 countries and international organizations. More than 80 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. It has mobilized over US$23 billion, carried out more than 1,800 cooperation projects, and trained over 80,000 professionals from developing countries. These efforts have reshaped the landscape of global development cooperation and helped safeguard the development rights and interests of the Global South. The GSI has offered new approaches to the political settlement of hotspot issues in the Middle East, Europe, and other regions. In the Middle East, it facilitated the historic reconciliation and resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In the Ukraine crisis, it advanced the launch of the Group of Friends for Peace, helping create conditions for a political settlement. In addressing tensions in China’s neighborhood, it has worked to promote peace between Cambodia and Thailand and played a constructive role in addressing issues involving Afghanistan, Myanmar, and other countries. The GCI has facilitated the United Nations’ establishment of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations and has steadily expanded cultural, youth, and academic exchanges between China and other countries. These efforts have consistently fostered closer people-to-people ties and provided intellectual nourishment for building a better world. The GGI has received support and positive responses from nearly 160 countries and international organizations, with more than 60 countries joining the Group of Friends of Global Governance. It has helped advance BRICS expansion and SCO enlargement, advocated reform of institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and effectively increased the voice of Global South countries in multilateral forums.

Fu Xiaoqiang is President of China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 16, 2026)