‘Shared future’ vision provides answers

The just concluded annual conference of Boao Forum for Asia is the first such meeting since China’s commitment to building a community with a shared future for mankind was written into the country’s Constitution last month.

The vision, together with China’s proposal to build “a new type of international relations”, represents the country’s effort to search for the answer to a simple question: What kind of future does humanity wish to create?

In his keynote speech at the opening of the conference on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping further explained the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, which is characterized by treating each other with respect and as equals, promoting dialogue and sharing responsibility, engaging in cooperation for win-win results, upholding inclusiveness and seeking harmony without uniformity, as well as treating nature with respect and treasuring the planet.

He called for people around the world to work together toward a community with a shared future for mankind and to make Asia and the world peaceful, prosperous, open and beautiful.

The vision has increasingly gained consensus worldwide. On March 23, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted the resolution titled “Promoting Mutually Beneficial Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights” by a vote of 28 in favor, one against and 17 abstentions.

The resolution supports the fostering of international relations based on mutual respect, fairness, justice and mutually beneficial cooperation, with the aim of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Yu Jianhua, head of the Chinese mission to the UN, introduced the resolution to the council, saying, “We live on the same planet, share common interests and face the same challenges, and we have become an interdependent community with a shared future.”

Liu Huawen, a researcher of international law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the adoption of the China-sponsored resolution shows that the country’s wisdom is playing an important role internationally.

“Chinese efforts in human rights protection have been recognized and have received support from more countries,” he said.

Visionary proposal

We live on the same planet, share common interests and face the same challenges.”

Yu Jianhua, head of the Chinese mission to the UN

The proposal of building a community was put forward by Xi in March 2013, when he spoke at Moscow State Institute of International Relations during his first trip overseas as president. Human society is becoming a community of a shared future, Xi said in his speech.

During annual conferences

of the Boao Forum for Asia from 2013 to 2015, Xi proposed to create the mentality of a community with a shared future, march to a community with a shared future, build a community with a shared future for Asia and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

On Jan 18, 2017, Xi made a keynote speech at the United Nations Office at Geneva titled Work Together to Build a Community with a Shared Future

for Mankind, offering China’s solutions to cope with global challenges.

“Building a community with a shared future is an exciting goal, and it requires efforts from generation after generation,” Xi said. “China is ready to work with all the other UN member states as well as international organizations and agencies to advance the great cause of building a community with a shared future for mankind.”

The president’s speech drew strong and positive feedback from the international community. A month later, the Chinese concept of building “a human community with a shared destiny” was incorporated into a UN resolution for the first time at the 55th UN Commission for Social Development.

While delivering a speech at the closing meeting of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress in March, Xi said that China will contribute more Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions and Chinese strength to the world and push for building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

“Let the sunshine of a community with a shared future for humanity illuminate the world,” Xi said.

Pushing forward building a community with a shared future for mankind was enshrined in the amendment to the Constitution during the session of the top legislature.

Xi, as the chief architect of China’s major-country diplomacy, has been personally involved in planning and conducting “brilliant” head-of-state diplomacy, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news conference on the sidelines of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress.

Xi has visited 57 countries and received more than 110 foreign heads of state, which not only has deepened the world’s understanding of China, but also enhanced China’s profile and influence and facilitated the solution to many global problems, Wang said.

Xi also will attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Papua New Guinea and the G20 Summit in Argentina this year, Wang said.

Put into practice

Through such efforts as proposing and implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, China has translated the proposal of building a community with a shared future into practice.

The initiative, comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond via overland and maritime routes.

Since Xi put forward the initiative in 2013, China has signed cooperation documents with more than 80 countries and organizations, carried out industrial collaboration with more than 30 countries and helped build 75 economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries.

In May, representatives from 130 countries, including 29 heads of state or government and scores of international organizations, participated in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, where more than 270 projects aimed at enhancing the global cooperation network were finalized.

China has also shouldered its responsibility in dealing with global challenges such as climate change.

In a speech to mark Chinese Lunar New Year on Feb 16, French President Emmanuel Macron called China an “ally” of France in the fight against climate change. Macron hailed Beijing’s involvement in helping to solve the issue as “a radically new” choice made by “our Chinese ally on this subject”.

Guo Yezhou, vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said at a symposium on March 24 that building a community of a shared future for mankind is the most prominent element of China’s major-country diplomacy in the new era.

The proposal has not only integrated China’s traditional culture with the contemporary trend of international relations, but also reflected Xi’s values and his responsibility, he said, adding that the proposal has been supported and acknowledged by more and more countries as well as political parties.

The proposal of building a community of a shared future is put forward by China, but it needs joint efforts from the whole world to achieve the great goal, he said.

Building a community of a shared future for mankind and establishing a new international order has great significance not only for China’s rejuvenation but also for global peace and development, said Guo Shuyong, head of the International Relations and Public Affairs College of Shanghai International Studies University.

The proposal of building a community of a shared future should be integrated with real practices, such as building the Belt and Road, so that the world can better understand the proposal and benefit from it, he said.