context: Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative in 2025, following the Global Development Initiative (2021), Global Security Initiative (2022) and Global Civilisation Initiative (2023). A State Council Information Office white paper released 17 June sets out the Global Governance Initiative alongside the three earlier initiatives and situates them within a broader global governance reform framework, signalling Beijing's push to expand its sway over global rule-setting.
Xi Jinping's GGI (Global Governance Initiative) rests on five principles, says an SCIO (State Council Information Office) white paper released 17 June. The paper names geopolitical conflict, deglobalisation, widening inequality and threats from AI and cyber security as driving the need for reform, and says existing multilateral bodies fall short on authority, effectiveness and representation.
The five principles
- sovereign equality: all states equal regardless of size, opposing power politics and hegemonism
- international rule of law: applying rules uniformly and rejecting double standards
- multilateralism: described as the only viable approach to global governance
- people-centred governance: assessed by outcomes for the people
- action-oriented governance:linking reform to delivery in areas such as poverty reduction, climate and digital development
Around 160 countries and international organisations and more than 60 in the 'Friends of Global Governance Group' back the GGI, says Wang Yi 王毅 foreign minister, at the white paper's launch.
Wang says in 2026 the PRC will focus on
- reviving open regionalism
- strengthening governance in emerging fields
- building governance platforms
- building global consensus
The white paper says the initiatives support a 'community with a shared future for humanity' and calls for a UN-centred international order, urging states to uphold existing UN authority and avoid duplicating institutions.