China’s promise of shared destiny to progress
China will engage the world to share its latest technologies, and highquality products and solutions that will benefit everyone, with no restraints or hidden agendas.
China in 2018 holds the promise of equitable, fair and sustained engagement toward a shared human destiny.
State actors and common citizens from all corners of the globe saw changes in 2017 that brought hope but also an unease about the future.
The unease started with the US elections, which brought an administration that does not believe in globalization or environmental protection, or putting the concerns of world citizens before its own.
The gains of fair trade, access to markets that we fought so hard for since the middle of the last century, came under pressure from some countries that prefer unilateralism instead of pluralism, narrow nationalism rather than a shared destiny.
Within this new development of a limited vision of global interaction, world leaders have woken up to the threat surrounding the destiny of our societies, threats to our way of life, to a harmonious coexistence, peaceful development and shared values based on respect and cooperation for a better future.
In their quest to create a front to galvanize the world for the defense of the global order, Europeans, Africans, South Americans and Asians found solace and leadership in China.
Who would imagine in our lifetime, world business leaders standing at the 2017 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos giving warm applause to China’s promise to be the protector of globalization and fair trade?
Davos was a defining moment for global governance and the new paradigm shifts that have taken place in 2017.
The world understood that China evolved through a painful and extraordinary process not only to become a world economic powerhouse, but also to present a vision, an alternative to global ideologies and political systems.
Since then, China has gone ahead with its promise in leading with concrete actions, such the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which took center stage by providing loans and granting memberships to regional and non-regional states.
This was closely followed with the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, which saw in May 2017 a major gathering in Beijing – the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. There, 29 foreign heads of state and government leaders discussed the way forward in integrating the global economy, and creating equal opportunities for all state and non-state parties through the B&R framework.
In a parallel development of economic leadership and innovative structures to boost trade and infrastructure growth, China put forward a clear ideological vision of world affairs at the 19th Party Congress, a historic moment in Sino-global interaction.
So this brings us to 2018 with a new perspective, a Chinese wish list for a wonderful 2018.
This means that China will engage the world to share its latest technologies, and high-quality products and solutions that will benefit everyone, with no restraints or hidden agendas.
We also expect a more humane approach to international interactions, an approach based on the concept of a shared destiny. This means that China sees itself as part of the world, and its success depends on the success of other communities and cultures. That means all policies will be based on mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, inclusiveness and jointly building a community for humankind.
We will see China reduce the gap not only between North vs South development. Also, China will increase assistance to local populations by bringing education and upgrading local health systems to reduce unequal access to basic services.
The world is hopeful for Chinese wisdom and kindness as we look forward together to a greater destiny.