In an op-ed shared with audiences in Antigua and Barbuda, H.E. Jiang Wei, China’s Ambassador to the Caribbean nation, outlined the core vision and practical progress of China’s approach to global governance, tied to the June 2026 release of China’s new white paper *More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China’s Principles, Proposals and Actions*.
Today’s international order stands at an inflection point, shaped by the most profound systemic shifts in a century. Peace and development, long held as the shared goals of the global community, now face unprecedented headwinds. Geopolitical frictions have intensified, sparking armed conflicts across multiple regions, while growing global economic fragmentation has choked off inclusive development pathways. Compounding these challenges, overlapping crises are accumulating at an accelerated pace, with new threats emerging in rapid succession. Unilateral power grabs and hegemonic interference have inflicted deep damage on the global order, flagrantly flouting international law and the long-accepted basic norms that govern cross-border relations.
Against this backdrop, anti-globalization sentiment and protectionist policies are gaining traction, as economic and trade issues are increasingly politicized, turned into strategic tools, and even weaponized for geopolitical gain. The existing global governance framework has failed to keep pace with shifting global demographics, rising power of the Global South, and emerging transnational challenges, leaving its structural gaps and inequities increasingly impossible to ignore.
This moment demands a fundamental reset of global governance: a new model that is more inclusive, fair, and sustainable, one that centers the underrepresented voices of Global South nations that have long been sidelined in key global decision-making processes.
The framework for this reset was first laid out in September 2025, when Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), a comprehensive Chinese proposal that addresses the two defining questions of our era: what kind of global governance system the world needs, and how this system can be reformed and improved to meet modern challenges.
Since its launch, the initiative has quickly garnered broad international buy-in, earning the support of nearly 160 countries and international organizations, with more than 60 nations joining the GGI’s Group of Friends to advance collaborative implementation.
At its core, the GGI is built on five foundational principles. First, it enshrines sovereign equality as the non-negotiable starting point for all global governance. Every nation, regardless of its size, military power, or economic wealth, is entitled to have its sovereignty and national dignity respected, and to have an equal voice in decision-making and an equal share of the benefits of global cooperation. Second, it upholds international rule of law as the fundamental safeguard for fair governance. Only a system rooted in consistent, universally applied rule of law can deliver a level playing field for all nations’ development and build a truly just international order. Third, it advances multilateralism as the core path forward, urging all countries to uphold the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, protect the central coordinating role of the United Nations in global affairs, and prioritize multilateral dialogue and cooperative problem-solving. Fourth, it anchors global governance in a people-centered value framework, recognizing that the citizens of all countries are the true actors in global governance, and that improving public well-being is the ultimate goal of all collective action. Reform of global governance must deliver greater fulfillment, security and well-being for people across every region. Fifth, it prioritizes practical problem-solving as a key guiding principle, emphasizing that effective global governance must deliver tangible solutions to the real challenges facing nations today.
Unlike many global initiatives that remain only words on paper, China has positioned itself as both a leading advocate and active implementer of the GGI. In the area of common security, China is a major contributor to UN peacekeeping operations: it is the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and the largest provider of peacekeeping troops among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and has developed a distinctive, dialogue-centered approach to de-escalating long-running international flashpoints. In pursuit of greater global fairness, China has driven the historic expansion of the BRICS bloc, supported the growth of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), backed the African Union’s gaining full membership in the G20, and launched and advanced a open, inclusive initiative for Global South cooperation. Through eight targeted support measures, China is helping Global South nations collectively advance along sustainable pathways to modernization. To foster greater global solidarity, China initiated and led the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation, filling a long-standing gap in global conflict mediation infrastructure. It has also convened the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations and the Ancient Civilizations Forum to build bridges of mutual understanding and learning across different cultural traditions. On the governance of emerging global challenges, China established the Kunming Biodiversity Fund to support global conservation action, and launched the Global Initiative on Data Security and the Global AI Governance Initiative to help develop inclusive, fair governance frameworks for these emerging domains.
Global governance is a collective endeavor that requires constant forward progress; in an era of turbulence, standing still means falling backward. Today, as the world enters a new period of turbulent transformation, there is a greater need than ever to revitalize inclusive multilateralism, uphold universal international rule of law, and build a more effective global governance system. China stands ready to work side by side with the government and people of Antigua and Barbuda to deepen multilateral cooperation, advance the GGI’s goals through the principle of shared consultation, contribution and benefit, and jointly build a more just and equitable global governance system for all.
