first scholar commentary on the GGI

Xu Jian 徐坚 China Foundation for International Studies chair, former PRC ambassador to Russia and former China Foreign Affairs University president offers the first unpacking of the GGI (Global Governance Initiative) in People's Daily. He asserts that the GGI, along with the Global Security Initiative, Global Civilisation Initiative and the Global Development Initiative

• embodies the continuous expansion and deepening of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind
• is a major innovative development of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy
• demonstrates the PRC's image as a responsible major country that
  • adheres to the path of peaceful development
  • firmly safeguards the international order and basic norms of international relations
  • resolutely defends international fairness and justice

Due to lagging rules, weak enforcement and reduced effectiveness in many areas such as security, development and the environment, the global governance system is increasingly unable to respond to emerging systemic challenges, states Xu. The world has entered a period of governance dilemma, characterised by a complex web of problems and ineffective responses. He explains that it’s within this context that Xi Jinping proposed the GGI.

According to Xu, the GGI enhances the PRC's role in advancing global political civilisation in two ways

• it protects the gains of WW2
• it offers a scientific response to the question of 'where is humanity heading?'

Xu outlines the core concepts of the GGI and states that they establish the principles, methods and pathways that must be followed in reforming and improving global governance

• upholding sovereign equality which is the primary precondition of global governance
• adhering to international rule of law, which is the fundamental guarantee of global governance
• practicing multilateralism, which is the basic path of global governance
• advocating a people-centered approach, which is the value orientation of global governance
• focusing on action, which is an essential principle of global governance

The GGI is not just a policy statement, but a diagnosis and solution to the current global governance deficit, says Xu. The solutions the GGI offers are

• advocating for the democratisation of international relations, promoting the global governance system to better reflect the interests of most countries, strengthening the representativeness and voice of Global South nations and bridging the 'representation deficit'
• firmly defending the authority of the UN Charter and international law, ensuring that international rules build consensus and are applied equally, eliminating the 'authority deficit'
• coordinating and harmonising various global governance agendas, enhacing governance effectiveness through systematic planning and overall progress, fundamentally addressing the 'effectiveness deficit'