Joining Hands for a Better Future

During his first overseas visits to Russia, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of the Congo as Chinese president in March 2013, Xi Jinping put forward the vision of building a community of shared future for humanity, aimed at addressing various global challenges and threats. The concept has been well received by the world community and included in many UN resolutions.

China is not only the initiator of building a community of shared future for humanity, but also a practitioner and contributor to its operationalisation at the global stage, turning its determination to work with countries for common prosperity into real actions. Choosing dialogue over confrontation, and establishing partnerships instead of alliances are the principles China has always adhered to in conducting its foreign policy, so as to promote coordination and cooperation among countries across the world and build a stable and balanced global governance framework.

Peace and development are the main themes of our era, as well as the important parts of the concept of building a community of shared future for humanity. China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to facilitate common development by advancing policy coordination, connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds. As of January, China had signed more than 200 cooperation documents with 151 countries and 32 international organisations, including more than 50 African countries. Projects built in these countries under the BRI, such as the MombasaNairobi Railway in Kenya, Lekki Deep Sea Port in Nigeria and the Kribi-Lolabe Highway in Cameroon, to name a few, have brought real benefits to local people. China’s development concept of “improving connectivity as the first step to become prosperous” is being well received in African countries.

Facing a world with growing security challenges, China has put forward the Global Security Initiative. Mutual understanding and mutual respect form the key aspects of this initiative. This initiative reflects the hope of the people around the world to maintain world peace and promote common development, pointing the direction for building a peaceful, secure and prosperous world and making contribution to the global efforts in tackling peace deficits and addressing security dilemmas.

China and African countries are natural partners in building a community of shared future, and support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests. Speaking at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Tanzania in March

2013, Xi announced the principles of China’s policy towards Africa, namely, sincerity, real results, amity and good faith. China also sticks to the principle of respecting sovereignty and is an active facilitator of and participant in peace and security affairs in Africa.

To support the Horn of Africa in realising lasting stability, peace and prosperity, China put forward the Initiative of Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa to explore solutions to profound challenges to peace in the region. China took the lead in supporting the African Union to join the G20, encouraging Africa to play a bigger role in the international arena.

The people of the world live under the same sky, sharing weal and woe. Only by joining hands to build a community of shared future for humanity can we have a better and brighter future.