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Editor's Note:

In today's world, where the futures of all countries are closely linked, development, security and civilization play important roles in promoting the modernization process of human society. The Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping, offer profound insights into the issues of our time. The Global Times invites scholars to provide readers both at home and abroad with an in-depth understanding of these three initiatives. This is the fifth article in the series.


The Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the concept of building a global community of development with a shared future have captured the momentum of the times and responded to historical trends, outlining a new path for all countries to meet challenges and seek development together. Over the past three years, China has put forward a series of practical initiatives and taken concrete actions to implement the GDI, and its efforts to build a global partnership for development have received increasingly positive responses. As a result, the international consensus on creating a new era of global development has further coalesced, and the promotion of building a global community of development with a shared future has increasingly become the universal aspiration of the international community, especially among the vast number of developing countries.

Exploring a new path to modernization through development

Exploring a new path of modernization through development is the historical logic of human society in its march toward a better future. Over the past 100 years since its founding, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has united and led the Chinese people in their quest for national independence and rejuvenation, and through the unremitting efforts of several generations, it has come up with a path of Chinese modernization. The 20th CPC National Congress summarized the country's exploration experience and constructed a theoretical system of Chinese modernization. The path of Chinese modernization is based on China's national conditions and draws on the experiences of other countries. It also benefits the Chinese people and promotes the common development of the global community.

The GDI and the concept of building a global community of development with a shared future have vividly interpreted the important features, essential requirements and major principles of Chinese modernization. It also provides a brand new option for the vast number of developing countries to explore the road of modernization through China's own practice.

For a long time, Western countries, particularly in Europe and the US, have adhered to a "Western-centric historical perspective," a "Western-centric view of civilization," and a "Western-centric view of development." They tend to view the world through a narrow Western lens, resulting in a clearly imbalanced perspective and distorted conclusions. 

Led by the US, these countries strive to maintain hegemonic interests in international affairs, with "America First" upheld as a guiding principle by some political elites in the US. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the bipolar world order, American scholar Francis Fukuyama proposed the "end of history" theory. Over 30 years later, Fukuyama and the Western political elites he represents have been proven wrong; their predictions contradict the laws of historical development and are fundamentally flawed. The development model of human society is by no means singular, and the forms of human civilization are diverse. 

Building consensus on international cooperation through development 

Development is an eternal theme of human society. Achieving high-quality development and building a global community of development with a shared future are universal aspirations of the international community. In recent years, developed countries have increasingly adopted inward-looking policies, with anti-globalization sentiments rising significantly. The momentum for international development cooperation has weakened, and development issues have become increasingly marginalized on the international agenda. 

The China-proposed GDI focuses on the urgent need to promote world economic growth. The concepts of the GDI and building a global community of development with a shared future have gained widespread recognition. China's actions to benefit the world through its unique modernization and to create new opportunities for global development through its new development model have received high praise from the international community.

The GDI calls for placing development at the forefront of global macro policy coordination, building a global development partnership characterized by unity, equality, balance and inclusiveness, promoting synergistic progress in multilateral development cooperation, accelerating the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and building a global community of development with a shared future. It is the global responsibility of the Chinese government and its people to enhance living standards and achieve national prosperity and revitalization through development, while also leveraging China's growth to effectively drive economic progress worldwide, especially in developing countries.

Taking the Chinese people's aspiration for a better life as the goal of our efforts, the continuous promotion of well-rounded human development and the striving toward common prosperity for all Chinese people are noble pursuits of the CPC. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC profoundly outlines major principles that must be firmly grasped on the journey ahead, with one being "applying a people-centered development philosophy." Development is not an abstract concept but a tangible action aimed at realizing individuals' essential capabilities through practice. President Xi emphasizes applying a people-centered development philosophy, thinking for the people, responding to their needs and working for the greater happiness of the people. By integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and fine traditional culture, we have significantly enriched the Marxist concept of development.

Sending a powerful message to the world that 'development comes first'

President Xi delivered a keynote address on September 5, 2024, titled "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a Community with a Shared Future" at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. In his address, he called for promoting modernization of the Global South with China-Africa modernization. As humanity enters the 21st century, modernization should embody fairness, openness, win-win cooperation, people-centeredness, inclusiveness, ecological friendliness, as well as peace and security. The GDI has received support from more than 100 countries and many international organizations, including the UN. Additionally, more than 80 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. China has also signed bilateral cooperation documents for the GDI with many countries. Together, China and African countries will pursue their dreams of modernization, which is sure to spark a wave of modernization across the Global South and create a new chapter in building a global community with a shared future. 

President Xi emphasized that "the world has entered a period of new turbulence and transformation. It falls on each and every responsible statesman to answer the questions of our times and make a historical choice with confidence, courage and a sense of mission." Achieving sustainable development and building a global community of development with a shared future is a new path for countries to confront challenges and seek common progress. The GDI prioritizes development, centers on the people, and emphasizes inclusivity, innovation, and harmony between humans and nature, sending a powerful message to the world. China will work with the Global South to enhance exchanges on governance. It will also support each country in exploring modernization paths suitable to their own conditions while advocating for mutual respect and coexistence among different civilizations, collectively advancing humanity toward a better future.

The author is the chief expert of major Social Sciences Research Projects of the Chinese Ministry of Education. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn