In order to build a community with a shared future for mankind, we need to build an open and inclusive world of common prosperity. Similarly, we need to build a world in which we share weal and woe together. And that is possible only in a fair and just world.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations. On October 25, 1971, the 26th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted, with an overwhelming majority, Resolution 2758, and the decision was made to restore all rights of the People’s Republic of China at the United Nations. As President Xi Jinping said while attending the conference marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations, “This was a momentous event for the world and the United Nations. It came as the result of joint efforts of all peace-loving countries that stood up for justice in the world. It marked the return of the Chinese people, or one-fourth of the world’s population, back to the UN stage. The importance was significant and far-reaching for both China and the wider world.”
The past five decades since New China restored its lawful seat in the United Nations have witnessed China's peaceful development and its commitment and contribution to the welfare of humanity. For these 50 years, China has faithfully fulfilled its responsibility and mission as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, vigorously promoted multilateralism, and firmly safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of the developing countries. From the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the Three Worlds Theory to “Peace and development are the two major themes of the contemporary world”, China has shared its wisdom and solution for world peace and development at every historical moment. Now, the world is facing the combined impacts of profound changes unseen in a century and the COVID-19 pandemic. The question of our times“What has happened to the world and how should we respond?” is in urgent need for new answers. President Xi Jinping, with his vision for the greater progress of humanity, has proposed building a community with a shared future for mankind as an explicit Chinese solution to those questions.
Our collective efforts will defeat this pandemic
In order to build a community with a shared future for mankind, we need to build an open and inclusive world. This major initiative of building a community with a shared future for mankind, rises above differences in social systems and development stages, and rejects the zero-sum mentality and geopolitical calculations. It reflects peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity. The initiative has been written into many UN resolutions, declarations of international multilateral mechanisms and other documents and thus demonstrated its strong international influence, the ability to inspire and the power to shape. As President Xi Jinping said in his speech, “To build a community with a shared future for mankind is not to replace one system or civilization with another. Instead, it is about countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures and levels of development coming together for shared interests, shared rights and shared responsibilities in global affairs, and creating the greatest synergy for building a better world.”
In order to build a community with a shared future for mankind, we need to build a world of common prosperity. A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden. China has worked to foster greater synergy between its own development and that of the world. China has provided around RMB 400 billion of development assistance to 166 countries and sent more than 600,000 aid workers so far. Since the commencement of the BRI initiative, up to 140 partner countries have signed documents on Belt and Road cooperation with China and trade between China and BRI partners has exceeded 9.2 trillion US dollars. While attending the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly via a video link in September, President Xi Jinping proposed a Global Development Initiative, calling on the international community to speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and pursue more robust, greener and more balanced global development, which set out a blueprint for the development of countries and international development cooperation.
In order to build a community with a shared future for mankind, we need to build a world in which we share weal and woe together. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clearer that mankind is a community of shared future and that unity and cooperation are the only right ways to overcome the crisis. China has upheld the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, been active in sharing COVID response experience with the world, deeply engaged in science-based cooperation on COVID-19 origins tracing and provided anti-epidemic material assistance to more than 150 countries and 13 international organizations. China has provided over 1.6 billion doses of vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations, topping the world. In carrying out vaccine cooperation, China has no political motive or economic calculation, and China does not attach any political strings. The only purpose of China is to make vaccines a global public good that truly serves as people’s vaccines and helps the world defeat the pandemic at an early date.
In order to build a community with a shared future for mankind, we need to build a fair and just world. China has always practiced multilateralism, stayed true to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and upheld the central role of the United Nations in international affairs since the restoration of its lawful seat in the UN. China has joined almost all universal inter-governmental organizations, signed more than 600 international conventions, and earnestly fulfilled its international obligations. China has stood actively for the political settlement of disputes through peaceful means, firmly opposed interference in other countries’ internal affairs, power politics and hegemonism and has been actively exploring for solutions to hotspot issues in line with the spirit of the UN Charter. China has acted by the spirit of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and earnestly applied the universality of human rights in the Chinese context. It has blazed a path of human rights development that is consistent with the trend of the times and carries distinct Chinese features, thus making a major contribution to human rights progress in China and the international human rights cause.
The Chinese people will never forget that Nepal, as one of the co-sponsors of the Resolution 2758, made great contributions to the restoration of China’s lawful seat in the UN. During President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Nepal in 2019, China and Nepal established a strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity. Both sides not only reached a series of important consensus on the development of bilateral relations, but also agreed to strengthen cooperation within the UN and other multilateral mechanisms to safeguard the common interests of the developing countries. The pragmatic cooperation in various fields between China and Nepal under the framework of BRI has been continuously expanding and deepening. The trans-Himalayan multi-dimensional connectivity network is taking shape. Both sides support each other on issues such as human rights, climate change, and COVID-19 origins tracing. Especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have stood together and helped each other, paraphrasing the profound connotation of the China-Nepal community with a shared future with concrete actions.
Delicious soup is made by combining different ingredients. Although the countries in the world are in different sizes and systems, peace and development are our common aspirations. As President Xi Jinping said in his speech, “China will stay committed to the path of peaceful development and always be a builder of world peace. China will stay committed to the path of reform and opening-up and always be a contributor to global development. China will stay committed to the path of multilateralism and always be a defender of the international order.” We are willing to work hand in hand with the vast number of developing countries including Nepal, to make unremitting efforts to realize the sustainable and peaceful development of the world and create a better future for human society!
(The author is Ambassador of China to Nepal)
