Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry

The Chinese leader-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) is an example of China contributing its solutions to addressing the global governance deficit and other global challenges, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday, outlining achievements of the one-year-old initiative that serves as an accelerator of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The GDI appeals to international society, which is in dire need of a consensus amid the anti-globalization movement and mounting geopolitical tensions, experts said, expecting GDI cooperation projects to cover a wider range of areas. 

"Development is an eternal theme of humanity. Without development, nothing would be possible. During the General Debate of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly in September last year, President Xi Jinping put forth the GDI with an aim to refocus international attention on the issue of development, step up international cooperation and provide China's insight and solution for solving difficult development issues and speeding up implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Wang told a regular press conference in Beijing.

The initiative has been warmly received by the international community since its inception. It is a rallying call to galvanize support for the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. It offers a roadmap for bridging the North-South gap and a strong boost to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, Wang continued.

International society requires a consensus more than ever on economic development and cooperation under the UN 2030 Agenda, as the global economy is struggling to emerge from the fallout of anti-globalization and geopolitical tensions, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The GDI, which embodies the Chinese path to development and security, fits well into global development needs, Cui emphasized, reckoning the one-year-old initiative have revved up collaborative efforts across the globe to put development first so as to resolve a wide range of problems that add to global uncertainty.

More than 100 countries and many international organizations have supported the GDI and nearly 60 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. 

The GDI has been incorporated into cooperation documents between China and ASEAN, Central Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific Island countries, the spokesperson pointed out.

Among the tangible results was the establishment of two financing platforms. The Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund pledged by President Xi Jinping has been set up and is now supporting cooperation under the GDI. Additionally, Phase III of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Trust Fund has been officially launched. 

"We are exploring new ways to raise funds and mobilize various parties to pitch in and advance practical cooperation in the eight key areas as identified by the initiative," Wang said.

Furthermore, China has set up a Global Development Promotion Center to provide an action platform for the GDI implementation. 

The country launched and established such platforms as a World TVET League, the China-Pacific Island Countries Climate Action Cooperation Center, an International NGOs Network for Poverty Reduction Cooperation, and worked with all sides to foster cooperation networks in such areas as agriculture, education, epidemic response and climate action. 

Apart from that, "China hosted a ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI, where new actions in seven areas and the first batch of projects of the GDI project pool were released, including 50 practical cooperation projects on poverty reduction, food security and industrialization and more than 1,000 capacity building projects," according to Wang.

On top of that, the first Global Development Report was unveiled, offering insight for the global development cause, the spokesperson went on to say.

The GDI is expected to facilitate cooperation projects that cater to varying national realities on a wider range of areas as more economies will be mobilized to participate in GDI projects, said Cui.

"It is a vivid illustration of building a community with a shared future for mankind that demonstrates the sense of responsibility of China's diplomacy in the new era," Wang told reporters on Wednesday.

"The Communist Party of China always puts the people front and center. We hope to see people of all countries as well as the Chinese people lead better lives," Wang said.